On the 24th of February, Saturday, the family of Mirra — both facilitators and children — were bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6.30 AM in the morning at the Thiruvanmiyur beach.
The focus of beach day was fun. Fun in the sand. Fun in the water. Fun with balls, frisbees, kites and oneself. Each means of enjoyment was divided into stations and children and their fathers were divided into groups. Each group joined a station of facilitators and volunteers and took quickly to the games, barely needing to know what had to be done.
The joy in the air drew the eyes of joggers and strollers, having them lingering a few minutes as they passed us and letting themselves get lost in the delighted shrieks and flying sand.
The feeling in the air was added to by the mothers who played a game amongst themselves, joining their happiness to the early morning wind.
At the end, everyone had sand, salt and water in their hair, eyes, between their fingers and toes. But no one minded, walking on the road feeling lighter, with smiles brighter than the sun that had started to shine; thinking, “Wow! Wasn’t that just beachy!”