Future Beach 02 - Daman
Car culture parks itself at the sea front in Devka Beach, Daman
Daman is a former Portuguese colony on the west coast of India that was incorporated into the Indian Union in the early 1960s and is now governed directly from New Delhi by the Union Government. We use a colonial term, The Union Territory, for such places in India. It maintains its own distinct identity as a place with lower taxation for industries and, more importantly, for alcohol, which is banned in the state surrounding it - Gujarat.
I was in Daman about eight years ago with a team from a leading ad agency in Mumbai who were creating a tourism campaign for the Union Territory. My job was to shoot images of the place and gather insights for the creative team using my photographs, and it was enjoyable.
Unfortunately, I can't share those images here.
The campaign was splashed in the media and is now forgotten. I am not sure if i.t increased tourist footfalls, but on a recent visit to Daman, I saw something that was built there that would attract people on wheels: The main beach, the Devka beach, has a 4-lane road and promenade that will be a hit with people who will drive into this tourist place.
Earlier, the road was a little inland, and the beach was much broader. The new road also violates the old coastal regulation rules for construction that have since been relaxed here. The beach where people dirtied their feet is narrower. The space for people to drive has increased.
It is called the Devka Sea Front and was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. As the Chief Minister of Gujarat before 2014, he was instrumental in building the Sabarmati River Front in Ahmedabad. This promenade is called, therefore, seafront, and maybe it’s easier to say than Promenade.
Looking back, I guess the access to cars will probably bring in more tourists than the ads ever did. They spend more than people who would use public transport to visit this place from Vapi, the nearest railway station, which has trains to most parts of North, West, Central and Southern India.
