Scholar-Journalist
From Navi Mumbai to Lakshadweep: An adventure packed with memorable moments
By Aryaman Mishra
Recently on 23rd December, 2023, I went on a cruise trip with my family, from Navi Mumbai to Agatti Island which is situated in Lakshadweep. It was a 6-day cruise trip with a lot of activities planned.
On the first day, we arrived at the ship, named Cordelia. After having our lunch on the 4th deck of the ship, we were ordered by our cruise director to go to our rooms for the emergency drill. Around 5:00PM we decided to go to the 10th deck of the ship, where we were asked to dance to the beats. This went on until about 8:00PM, when we then went to the Marquee Theatre and witnessed a show based on the dance styles of different states in India. After the show we decided to have our lunch and went to our rooms to sleep.
The next day, we woke up, had our breakfast and went to the Marquee Theatre again to watch the show named “Balle Balle”. It was a performance showcasing a big Punjabi wedding with all it’s twists and turns. After the show, my brother and I decided to sign up for a tour of the ship.
After completing the tour, we went to swim! At 2:00 PM, after having our lunch in the food court on deck 10, we went to click some pictures beside the sea and then we attended the party by the pool and spent the entire day there until we had participated in the countdown for Christmas, after which we went to our rooms and went to sleep
On 25th December, , we woke up at 10:00 AM and had our breakfast 30 minutes later, following which we started to roam around on the ship and started clicking pictures. We went back to our rooms and packed our bags because at 12:30 p.m as we had to leave for Agatti, one of the many Islands in Lakshadweep.
It took us 20 minutes to get there. From there, we took a short taxi trip across the entire island, clicking pictures as we went. For lunch, we did not want to eat a lot and returned back. Since we had a very tiring day, we decided to rest in our rooms. Soon, we rushed to get a seat in the marquee theatre because we were going to watch a magic show performed by India’s first magician named “Tejas”. After the show, we decided to go and have our dinner on deck 10, after which we decided to go to our rooms, where we fell asleep at 10:00PM.
The next day, on 26th December, we wokeup, and had our breakfast, this time on the 5th deck. After waiting in our rooms for 1 hour, my brother and I decided to swim in the pool on deck 6. Since my brother had signed up for a chess tournament on the 6th deck, I decided to accompany him. When we returned, we saw our parents, who were busy shopping. After we had finished buying some souvenirs with them, we went to the library and read a few books to pass time. After this, we decided to head to the sundowner party on deck 10. Soon later, my brother and I decided to join an acting workshop where were divided into 4 groups and each group had to act on anything we wanted.
My group decided to re-enact the film “Sholay”. At 8:00PM, we decided to have our dinner on deck 10 for the final time, following which we went back to our rooms to watch some television.
The next day, we had to wake up early in the morning at 6:30 Am as we had to assemble in the Marquee Theatre. From there, passengers were slowly going out of the cruise until finally it was our turn. We went out, called our driver, and went back to our home with many fun-filled memories.
