Beaches at Kovalam and Varkala are favourite spaces for the entrepreneur and fashion designer

Sobha Viswanath hardly has a minute to spare. As the mover behind Anbodu Trivandrum, one of the massive citizens’ group on Whatsapp in the city, which is working round-the-clock for flood relief, she has been on her toes for the last one week.

But the moment you ask her about her favourite spaces in and around the city, she is more than happy to take a break from her busy schedule. Right on top of a fairly long list are beaches, both at Kovalam and Varkala. “I can’t stay away from the beach. The beaches have heard all my stories...,” says Sobha, a social entrepreneur and fashion designer and proprietor of the boutique, Weavers Village at Vazhuthacaud.

Chill out

Whenever she feels like chilling out with her friends, she heads to Kovalam. “If I am in a good mood, I take my friends along. Otherwise it’s just me and the beach. Niraamaya Retreats is one place I like a lot,” she says. Or she heads to Varkala, where she loves to watch the sunset sitting by the beach. “There is a corner in Cafe Italiano where I get this spectacular view of the sea and the beach. The twilight is brilliant and once it gets dark you can see the lights from the sea from the boats. To top it all, the restaurant serves amazing seafood lasagne. I prefer to go alone and when I go with friends, there will be just two or three, not a huge group,” she says.

Sobha Viswanath | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Another comfort zone for her is Attukal Devi Temple. “There is a space on the premises where you can sit and pray. I wash away all my grief there and come back all rejuvenated; fully loaded, raring to go!” she adds. That is the reason why she has a tattoo on her right hand, from her wrist to the elbow, which says ‘My love, strength and faith AMMA’ along with a Trishul.

Ponmudi is another place that she goes to unwind, where she, “feels like on top of the world”. “It’s like a mini-heaven for me. I love to walk around, as much as I can. I have also gone trekking,” she gushes. Villa Maya boutique restaurant at West Fort is yet another hangout of hers.

Home is where heart is and that is where her pet dog, Twinkle, waits for her everyday. “She is my world and so my home at Ulloor is special because of her,” she says.

A weekly series on people and their favourite places in the city and its suburbs