Palm Beach Road

There goes a popular saying “Everything happens for a reason.” I am a firm believer in this so naturally I relate to it quite often. This episode very much fits the bill. Well it so happened that many years back when I was working in Delhi and was about to visit Mumbai for an official meeting, my team member, who was posted at Mumbai as part of company orientation, expressed his keen desire to have me attend his final project presentation, which was the most important part of culmination of the orientation program. I couldn’t praise more his sense of timing. And I confirmed my availability.

I flew to Mumbai early morning and found it all wet in the month of July. I headed straight to my office in Kalwa and completed a very successful meeting in the first half. In an upbeat mood, I started for Kharghar where the project presentation was to be held. My driver asked me whether I would go by Thane-Belapur road or I would prefer Palm Beach road instead. Although I had been to Mumbai several times, I had never ventured out beyond Vashi. Since ‘Palm Beach’ was so attractive a name, especially when it was pouring all over, I chose the latter. Thankfully I opted for the right choice as it would become my destiny in future!

The sight while moving on Palm Beach road was absolutely breathtaking. Imagine you are driving in an overcast sky, thick clouds engulfing it, the road in perfect condition and there are Palm trees in the divider all along it. Hold on…I’ve not finished yet. There is a creek on your right and there are few tall residential apartments on your left. How would you feel? And then I spotted ‘Sagar Darshan’ apartments; nine giant & majestic towers, standing tall and erect, one after the other in a row. The eighth tower became my abode after I shifted to Mumbai a few years after this great trip. As goes the popular saying “Everything happens for a reason !”

For driving to my office and back, Palm Beach road became a natural choice for me. There used to be not much traffic in those days and the good part was that heavy vehicles were banned to operate on it. It was a dream destination for those Formula One freaks who would like to test their car to its limit. I was also one of them. One could press the pedal hard and could feel the adrenalin pumping in the body of the vehicle and selg too. On almost all Saturday late nights, it was also thronged by a group of bikers who would want to test their Harleys and Yamahas and Hondas from Vashi to Kharghar and back. I could feel this pulse as I could oversee the troupe operating on it from the balcony of my apartment on the 8th floor. During winters, the sight of an orange hue of the sunset reflecting on the Palm Beach road used to be spell bounding.

As the whole area got populated and more people started using the Palm Beach road for commuting, the authorities had to take some measures to moderate the traffic. The need for moderation got accentuated when a few accidents took place due to rash & negligent high-speed driving. They experimented with rumblers and finally settled with the traffic signals. Lately the Palm Beach road boasts of many new skyscrapers, shining sign boards and a majestic building which is an office complex of the local government authority, all enhancing its beauty. I’ve tried to give you a glimpse of it so that next time when you are around, you do not miss it.

      

         

I had shifted to Kharghar a few years back however would always choose to drive on the Palm Beach road with the slightest excuse available. It still gives me chance of a free flow, especially on early mornings or late evenings!