Konkan is  nature’s very own drawing board. The emerald  green vegetative cover on the hills on one side, the sapphire blue sky & seas on the other side  are dotted here &  there, by the ruby red  laterite stone-walled & tiled houses  make Konkan a  picturesque postcard.

Ghats, Ghats & Ghats. Never ending; of numerous curves & slopes that engineering cannot fathom,  The area & its beaches are clean,  sparsely populated, nothing to do & nowhere to go after 6 pm. These are places here where you can drive your car upto the water in the sea for a selfie -  not possible elsewhere. Konakan is home to quiet a few small temples that are over 300 years old & forts built by Shivaji. Konkan cuisine is all about sea food, with its own signature dishes.

The waves on ones side of the hills keep lapping all along the hilly coastline as untiringly  & playfully as a kid. Come June & the sea begins its romance with the clouds. Both get inseparably intertwined &  are aggressive as if there was no tomorrow, painting a canvas with over a fifty shades of grey.  As the monsoons get over, fogs start rolling in & smothering the hills all over.

Ratnagiri the biggest district in Konkan, is home to the  prized Alphonso’s  - the world’s No.1 in mangoes. The earliest Alphonsoes hit the market in February at a whopping Rs.2400 per dozen. Its only by May that the prices get within reach.  Personally, I have always been disappointed with Alphonso’s  on every aspect – the size, cost & taste.  The Banganapally or those from the famed Tahatahchariyar gardens back in Trichy are just fine& are as tasty for me.

The stifling heat of the coastal Konkan in summer, required natural coolers to keep oneself cool. Thus was born the light  green coloured  Aam Panna  made from unripened green  mangoes in this region–

Green mangoes are boiled, peeled, mashed, watered & filtered; cardamom, sugar, black salt are added & allowed to cool.   As simple as that & easily made at home.