(This blog is for the
The Lakmé Diva Blogger Contest and linked to http://www.facebook.com/ilovelakme)
Fifty- six Km away
from Tiruvantapuram, Verkala is an exotic beach. A very close friend of Neha,
who was enjoying her holidays called Neha to spend her holidays along with her.
This friend is ‘Kyra” and “ “Eleena” to others but only Leena to Neha. Neha
already had sunburns due to her work. On her way to Tiruvantapuram, She met with
Dermatologist Dr. Swamy at the airport. Dr. Swamy explained to her the harms of
UVA and UVB exposure and the meaning of SPF and PA ranking as shown in the
labels of sunscreen products. She told Neha that the right kind of
broad-spectrum dermatologically approved sunscreen cream and lotion having both
SPF, PA ranking could protect from these harmful exposures. Neha met Leena at
Verkala and learnt about various products of Lakme Sun-expert, which are having
the same qualities that Dr.Swamy told earlier. She used these products and
found how these products not only protect but also take the aftercare of sunray
exposures. Both moved around Verkala in Sunlight and enjoyed the Exotic Beach
and the surroundings. In one such location when Leena sang a song earlier
composed by Neha, Neha felt that they were back in their college days.
Protected by Lakme Sun Expert products, the body energy do not need to fight
against the evils of Sunray exposures and feel exhausted. Now enough body
energy is available to enjoy even in Sun. Neha also felt that these products
protecting from Sunray exposures are actually friends in need and friend indeed.
They are not a mere luxury product but needed to protect the body from sunburns
but also from Skin cancer. For the full story read more.
The flight to Tiruvantapuram was delayed for
two hours and I was becoming impatient to see Verkala 56 Km from Tiruvantapuram
in Kerala.
Including me, the whole team of Erection and
commissioning of the 40 MW Solar power
plant at Dhoodsar in Jaisalmeer were rewarded with week-long all paid
holiday for the successful completion of work done ahead of schedule. We worked
for months together, roasting ourselves in the open field of the desert in
Jaisalmeer. The contrasts of skin color, in the covered and uncovered part of
our body, bear marks of our hard toil in the sun.
Most of my colleagues went for near by Simla
and Manali to cool off their sunburnt dark faces and limbs.
However, I am going to Varkala, a not so known
sea beach in Kerala. Kerala has the finest sea beaches like Kovalam. But, Varkala is different from others. Varkala alone is the
only beach in southern Kerala, where lofty cliffs with mineral water springs are
adjacent to the Arabian Sea.
There are numerous waterspouts and spas on the sides of the cliffs. The beach
still harbors a calm ambience and is devoid of the hustle and bustle that is
usually associated with Kovalam.
Let me admit, I did not know anything about
this beach until day before, when Leena called me. She is Elena and Kaira to others but only Leena to me. Leena is
my best friend but unlike me a site engineer, she is a sales Person in a reputed
company, and mostly moves outdoor with her team for the whole day.
Leena was in her top of mood. She talked about the
exotic beach Verkala and the short vacation she and her friends are enjoying at
the beach with all fun games and music. She insisted me strongly to come and
join with her and her friends.
I had to
stop her somewhere and I said “Listen my dear friend, I love sea beaches like anything,
but I had enough of sunrays for the last one month. I do not want to spoil your
holiday mood but let me tell you I have both rashes and fever. Even if I join
you there, I am afraid I shall spoil the mood of others also.”
Leena was silent for few seconds and then her
voice came over “ I remember now, you had a vaccination of small pox, and
sometimes back you suffered from chicken pox also. So these two things cannot
bother you. I think it is all due to sunburn. You moved too much in Sun for the
last one month and did you use any protection?”
“Protection? You mean putting those funny
looking white paint type things on your face and you look like a ghost in a
horror movie.
Just tell me one thing. You and your sales team
move constantly in the open Sun for months together. I do not think you people
make that funny face for the sale promo or market research?”
Leena giggled “Ha! Ha! No my dear. We were
helpless previously. Now a friend and a
constant companion protect us from sunburn and related troubles. Now we are
not afraid of hot sun to enjoy work and all the fun of the day. That’s how we
are enjoying this exotic beach for few days. Only I miss you here too much. I
am sure if you see our friend your current problems of rashes and fevers shall
all go. Take care meanwhile. I am now getting late for the beach volleyball
game. Bye”
In the
crowd of increasing waiting passengers throughout the Airport, I suddenly spotted
Dr. Swami, the reputed dermatologist- scientist. As I waived to her she
recognized me and walked towards me.
After initial exchanges, we walked towards a
coffee shop. We managed to find one
small table just vacated by a couple and settled there. I could not help
scratching my rashes and she noticed it.
She said, “Just show
me those rashes on the back of your palm, elbows and neck. Eeh! These are sunburn
rashes. You said you also had fever. When you continuously expose yourself to
UVB and UVA rays these are quite natural outcomes. Let me tell you, People think their skin looks younger
because its tan, the reality is, each tan is giving your skin irreversible
damage, and you will see its damage later in life.”
I said” Doctor Swami. If you may educate me a
little about these...”
Sipping a little coffee she said “Ultraviolet
rays that penetrate our skin is made up of UV-A and UV-B rays, What bothers and
relevant here is the damaging powers of these rays that our skin gets exposed
continually.
“ You said damages, to
what extent this may happen?”
In her quiet voice, she said “To
the extent of sun spots, tanning, leathery skin and wrinkle and a deadly
illness.”
Dr. Swamy with ease cut a club sandwich into half and
pushed a part to me. Before inserting my fork into the portion, I said, “Go on
doctor. What is that deadly illness?”
“While large doses of UVA rays can contribute to skin cancer, the UVB rays are commonly to
blame for this disease.”
DR. Swamy helped me with a glass of water to stop a
sudden hiccup and continued “UVB rays are most prevalent mid day, so if you
must be out at that time, protect your skin.”
Leena told me the same thing but I was not sure what she
actually meant. Let me hear from the expert.
Munching the remaining part of the sandwich she looked at
me through the gaps of her spectacle frame and eyes, “I have reasons not to
recommend you any particular brand of Sunscreen available in the market. But I shall
help you what to look for before selecting any brand.”
She looked at her watch, and tried to hear one
announcement and then continued. “The active ingredients of a sunscreen fall into two
broad categories: organic ("absorbers") and inorganic
("blockers"). The absorbers
are mostly organic, form a thin protective film on the surface of the skin, and
absorb the UV radiation before it penetrates the skin. The blockers are mostly metal oxide such as
titanium dioxide or Zinc oxide, which absorb and reflect UV away from the skin.
So be careful, check the label of your
Sunscreen that it contains both absorbers and blockers and noncomedogenic i.e. does not contain
ingredients proven to cause pore blockages. It also should not be
allergic to your skin.”
There was another announcement and this pertains to her
flight. She checked her boarding pass
and got to her feet.
I said, “I shall accompany you to your departure gate no”
“O.K come along. I have not finished yet. There are few
other things, which you must check before buying any sunscreen product. All
Sunscreen labels list a SPF i.e sun protection factor and some products list
both SPF and PA ranking. SPF is a measurement of protection from the UVB rays. For
example, SPF 15 means it is giving you 15X 10 minutes i.e. two and half hours
of protection from UV-B rays.”
“And PA ranking?”
“This is the protection against the UVA rays. More + after PA means stronger is the
protection as PA+ and PA+++. I recommend you to buy one that has
minimum SPF 15 and PA+ both, which shall protect you from both UVA and UVB and
other specifications that I told you just before. These are the broad
spectrum Sunscreens.”
Before I could say thanks to her, she was on the other
side of the gate and waived me before boarding the bus to Aircraft.
A few hours later at about 4 P.M, I was in my hotel
adjacent to sea beach. Leena and her friends are already staying in that hotel
and booked a sea-facing room for me. Now They are not in their rooms but Leena
told the desk to put me in her room till my Sea-faced room gets ready.
Hot snacks and a fresh brewed coffee did all the magic
and I felt fresh. From the Balcony of the room, I was not able to withdraw my
eyes from the breath taking view of the secluded
500-meter stretch of white sand between the steep red cliffs covered with
coconut palms and the azure Arabian Sea.
Verkala Beach
I could read the hanging boards; this
particular beach of
Verkala is known as
“Papanasham” beach. I heard there is a common belief in the local people here
that a dip here washes away all the sins and purifies the body. The itching and the burning sensations all
over my body came back and I thought I should better have a walk in the sandy
beach, the cool sea breeze and wetting my feet there may soothe me. As I was
leaving her room, few nice looking sun set yellow tubes glistening in the
setting sunrays entering the room caught my eyes. I did not have the time to
look at them.
A small group enjoying a beach-Volley
ball at one corner of the beach drew my attention. As she jumped near the net
to smash the ball I recognized her, that is my friend Leena, her playmates are
constantly calling her “Come on Kyra”.
The massive red orb slips into the sea,
leaving behind a tinge of orange in the sky. Finishing their match, they were
in the knee-deep saline water soaking their body with the gentle surf. We two
friends met after years together sat on the beach and recollecting our days of
struggle at Mumbai. Both of us passed through hard and soft times, joys and
sorrows, break ups and nascent relations yet to come up for any meaningful
direction. Looking at her friends, she
said, “Come on Neha, let’s now soak and talk”
An hour later, I felt the burning
sensations and etching gone. Could it be the effect of the holy waters of “Papanasham”?
I shared my worries to Leena and she had a look at the rashes and said “Neha, I
suffered from these rashes years before. Don’t be tense now, I shall show you
something to really relieve you.”
In past, there were several occasions
when she really relieved me with my worries and tension. Clutching her hand, we
both jumped over a roller but another bigger one soaked us all over.
Showing me
the face wash, Leena said, “This works like wonders, it soothes skin from
common forms of skin-irritation post sun exposure. Right now, this is your
problem. All these products of Lakme are not only giving you broad-spectrum
protection but it is dermatologically recommended, noncomedogenic and
hypoallergic. The protective vitamins and anti-oxidants in cucumber and lemon
grass help to heal and repair past sun damage.”
My
irritation and burning felling was once again coming back and I said “let me
try. Something is at least better than nothing and when that something is from
a reputed company with right amount of ingredients it may work.”
Half an
hour later I had a feeling that at least my discomfort has not increased and
definitely thee was a feel of soothe. As advised by Leena I applied Cucumber
and lemon grass mask before taking rest for the night.
I got up
with a calm and fresh feeling. Leena’s friends were leaving for Kovalam, which
we both declined. We preferred seeing a lake Akathumuri. From Verkala, this Lake
is only 7 Km far.
Before going out for our daylong trip, we both rubbed gently Lakme Sun expert
fairness body sunscreen lotion all over our body. The charming smell of, Aloe
vera, and orange extract known for correcting past sun damages and the
broad-spectrum protection of SPF 24 and PA++
assured me a confidence.
The placid
waters of the lake and the serene beauty of the surroundings made both of us spellbound.
We hired a country boat and moved around the lake. The boatman cum guide said
that we must see Kulavattom, an island, which offers a better view of the
serene surrounding beauty of the placid waters. The island even at this time
had few herons and kingfishers and few nature-loving visitors like us. We
carried a small pack lunch from the hotel. Two of us with a low sound music
from the mobiles had a small picnic. There was another surprise for us on
return.
We saw a coir-making
factory and various decorative coirs made by the women artisans with a smiling
face. The factory manager assured us a safe home delivery and we both purchased
decorative coirs for our small drawing rooms. There were shades of the trees but overall We enjoyed the whole
day in sun but I never felt the burning or etching sensation.
To avoid
any recurrence I used the Lakme Sunscreen face wash followed by Lakme Sun
expert skin lightening +De-tan. I never felt such a cool feeling.
Leena
planned a visit to Thiruvambady beach. We shall be going up the North cliff,
take a bath in the mineral spring water and have a rest there, viewing the Arabian Sea. We took a pack lunch, water bottles, thermos
full of coffee, towels, spare dresses and sunscreen lotions in our backpacks.
We went up
the cliff through the spire-way through shades of Coconut Palm and cashew trees
and sunshine in between. The cool sea breeze was flowing constantly drying our
bids of sweats. As we went up, there were small springs; the biggest one was
near the cliff. Plantations around the place provided both shades and greenery.
The spring
site looked like add films for Luxury bathing soaps. It is divided in two
parts. The top part is for people to collect water, as people believe it may
cure many ailments. The downward overflow from this spring feeds a small pond with
an artificial fountain spraying the spring water. We could not resist ourselves to soak in the crystal-clear
water for swimming and dipping up and down. In the upper part, a small group
gathered in the shades and started playing music. We both were swimming to reach near the
fountain. Water was shallow there, one may soak there by standing. It was made
like that.
As both of
us reached there, Leena whispered,” I like that waltz. With a little twist in
the main beat let me sing one of your old songs”
I nodded
and said “O.K go on but with a low voice”
This was
one of my composed songs, but not on waltz.
“Hold the water
On
your Palm,
Tell your
heart
To be calm.
Have, have,
all the fun,
Only in the bright
Sun.
Hold the water
On your Palm
…………………………”
She sang
well, but could not help it to keep low.
I myself did not know, when I stated swaying a little along with soaking
near the fountain. We were as if back in our College days. In the Fests, the
songs of Neha- Leena pair were reciprocated with swaying their hips and “Once
more! Once More!” We heard them right here. As we opened our eyes, the applause
was from the small group who left their
place in the shade and surrounded the pond. We both blushed.
Going down
the cliff, we were on our way to Thiruvambady beach along with the small group
who became our friends. The afternoon sun has become orange red in the background of Azure blue Seawater with a
sharp contrast of black sand in the beach. We never saw black sand beach and
were spell bound to have such a breath taking view and enjoyed until the
darkness came all over.
Back in
the hotel room we were recapitulating our whole day and I said “ How
surprising, we moved all the day in sun but not at all tired till now.
Leena said,
“When you move in the sun a major part
of the body energy is spent to resist sun burning and allied effects. But when
you rub the sun expert lotion, this friend takes care of the body, letting you
the free body energy to enjoy.”
I said “Better say,
the lesson of Lotion”
She said, “Also a friend in need is friend indeed”
We both
laughed loud.
We shared
our site seeing experiences with our new friends on the trip to the black sand
beach and we told them about Akathumuri
Lake. Seeing our interest
in boating and rowing, they advised us to see Kopila
Lake, only 6 Km north of Verkala Town.
So next morning being fully prepared like other day we left for Kopila Lake
in early morning.
Bordered
with coconut groves and trees the azure blue lake is a misnomer. This is actually an Estuary. The aqua blue
waters of the lake rove gracefully and merge into Azure Arabian Sea. A bridge built
across the lake provides a panoramic view but we chose to browse through hired
pedal boats from the boat club of the department of tourism. We came near Kapil
beach, the meeting point of Lake with the Sea and returned from there. Only our
watches told the time we spent talking, laughing and singing while rowing
across the lake otherwise we would not believed it.
In the
following days, we visited the ancient Anjango fort, and religious places like 200-year-old
historical Janardana
Temple and Sivgiri Mutt.
All these places taught us our rich heritage, culture. At the same time, from
these places, the panoramic views of the Verkala beaches and the open Arabian Sea were possible as all the places were on a
high hill overlooking the sea.
Our
afternoon and evenings were fun filled with hour’s together company of rollers
and breakers during the sea bath, music in the rooms and food in the open
premises of the restaurants. The last day was most exciting. We walked in the
beach up to northern cliff. Seeing other people to paraglide, we decided to
take the thrill and fun. Only in the initial seconds of lifting we both felt as
if our heart stopped but then we saw one after another, the azure blue open
sea, the lofty cliffs decorated with coconut Palm tree rows and the silverline
sandy beach and all together at the end.
Both of us
felt that with the protection of our Lakme Sun expert friend, the funs in the
Sun were possible. With tears in our eyes,
we both departed. Back at my residence, when I opened my baggage, I found a
complete set Of Lakme Sun Expert, a gift that my bosom friend Leena secretly
pushed in my suitcase. Really, Leena and my new friend Lakme Sun Expert are my
friend indeed. Lakme Sun Expert is not a mere luxury item; it is a protector
from short term and long term diseases, lets you to utilise your body energy
not to fight against the sun but for your work and fun.
