GIVE US OUR DAILY BREAD
There is a place called ‘Thaneer Bhavi’ in Mangalore. Translated from Kannada, it means ‘cold-water well’. I do not know how this name has come about… In Konkani, we used to call this place ‘Thantrebail’. I do not know what that means, either. But, I know this much: it is a beautiful beach! My earliest memory about this place was going there with my parents when I was very small. There was no direct access to this beach. We would first go to a place called ‘Sultan Batteri’. It was a small, ancient fort built by Tipu Sultan on the banks of a river. From this spot, a local boat had to ferry us across to this little island-like place – ‘Thaneer Bhavi’. No beach in Mangalore is safe for swimming, including this one. But, I still remember I would simply jump with joy whenever I was around this place. The locals were mostly Christians from the fishing community. A small church stood right in the midst of those windy beach-trees. Wow! That quiet beauty! This church would come...