ONE thing I can tell you with authority about Fisherman's Cove in Chennai. The tide's definitely turned at this leisure beach resort since the time I was last there in the late 1970s. Chennai was Madras then, still quite a city of the Raj, though MGR strode around like a colossus in lungi, slippers and sunglasses! Fisherman's Cove was some 32 kilometres outside the city. And it rose over a wonderful stretch of the Covelong Beach, where the shore receded gently to receive the alluring waters of the Bay of Bengal in its embrace. In breeding season, turtles marched up the beach here in search of rooms!

It still is pretty much that way, except the resort, which was taken over by the Taj Group of Hotels in 1978, was recently given a new face by international designers. Now, wherever you sit, sleep, eat or meet, you look out at the sparkling blue sea. And this itself is a terrific thing, really. For my money, it makes Fisherman's Cove the finest beach resort in the whole of South India. 'Cept when the sun gets high and reflects sharply on the breakers rushing in to wet your toes, you might need MGR's shades to keep from going blind! No complaints, rest of the time.

Fisherman's Cove is in sleepy Chengleput district a hot, dusty drive outside Chennai. Though, by God, you would be amazed to know this area's actually had a bustling, action-packed history! I remember it well. A grim story of deceit and fraud. Of battles fought and sieges raised as European powers jockeyed for influence and power, and a trading interest on the Coromandel coast. Leading the besiegers was, me thinks, Robert Clive, the same gent who later presided over the destinies of the Indian sub-continent.

There was the British at Madras, the French at Pondicherry, the Danes at Tranquebar, and the Dutch at Covelong. The blighters have gone, thank the lord, and today, there's only Fisherman's Cove occupying 14 acres of land on which 88 accommodation units sit comfortably in the Chennai sun. Of these, 50 are rooms, 18 are garden cottages, 10 are sea-facing cottages, and another 10 are sea-facing cottages again, but in the luxury category. Cost more, naturally!

The cottages are all cosy, some have their own exclusive garden and hammock, and are set in the thick of greenery and lush trees. There are others on the beach itself with the waves roaring in your ears and where a Chettinad swing lazily goes back and forth in the breeze.

Incredibly, these cottages have open garden showers outside in which, I'll be damned, pretty young things don't mind taking their mid-day showers! Me, I'll only use the shower cubicle. And I've seen here cottages with verandahs and sit-outs that give you absolute close-up views of the sea, and with manicured lawns outside on which coconut palms dance and tease all day.

General Manager P. J. Mammen tells me that Fisherman's Cove strives to maintain its green image all the time. It has a waste water management plant and treated water is used in its gardens. Solar panels meet 80 per cent of the resort's hot water requirements, and a desalination plant provides 50 per cent of the daily water. Another thing nice here is that they employ 20 per cent of their staff from the local fishing village. And when the season is lean and the fishing's bad, or when cyclones attack the coast like garrisons of old Clive's English army, then Fisherman's Cove pitches in for the locals. Proper concerned, they are, about the neighbours.

So much for the resort. Now must tell you what's outside. There's Mahabalipuram, the ancient port city, a short distance away. And Kancheepuram with its towering, centuries-old temples. Tiruvakkarai's a magnificent fossil site nearby, and also Vedanthaangal, the water birds sanctuary, which draws nature lovers from God knows where! You can hire a cycle if your limbs are upto to it, and pedal around the neighbourhood for what it's worth. There's much to see.

Like the Nitya Kalyani temple, a catamaran building yard and miles of snowy white salt pans. Plus, there's the fishing! You can take a catamaran out into the estuaries and pitch your line in. The biting's good, and if you're lucky, you'll pull in a seer fish!

But best of all, if you're adventurous, there's the Madras Crocodile Bank some seven kilometres away, and members of the ancient Irula tribe who are hunters-gatherers of snakes! The crocodile bank is run by Rommel Whittaker, and you've got to see some of the reptiles he's got in there. There are over 6,000 crocodilians of 20 species, and, man, there's one horror there that's 18 feet long! All the endangered species of the reptile in India, including the Gangetic gharial, which is a harmless vegetarian, are kept at this bank. I tell you, Spielberg could have shot Jurrasic Park here and nobody'd know the difference.

Went myself at feeding time and got me an armful of baby croc! Yes, they let me wrestle the little fella before they gave him his feed. The Irula snake chaps, however, will not let you handle their reptiles. Give them notice, and they'll take you out into the fields and show you how they catch the Cobra, Krait, Russell's Viper and the Saw-Scaled Viper... the venomous big four! They extract the venom of these snakes before you for medicinal serums, then turn the snakes loose again.

Now, back to the Fisherman's Cove... and the food! Ah, the food! Saved it for the last. They've got two restaurants and a bar, the SeaGull, Bay-View Point and Anchor Bar respectively. Chef Krishna Kumar, an old Taj hand, is the diva of the khana here, a specialist in Conti and Chinese cuisines. The SeaGull is a multi-cuisine restaurant where he does Indian, Chinese and Conti food.

It does breakfast, lunch and dinner, and is closed in between meal times. The restaurant overlooks the sea, and large floor-to-ceiling windows let in the light and liven up the open show kitchen. Bay-View Point is an open-air barbecue restaurant set up on the beach. Thatch umbrellas keep out the sun and the crows that will otherwise dive for the grilled seafood on your plate. I daresay, this is one of the finest eating place to

dine out at outside Chennai. There's much hope for the vegetarian and non-seafood person too here. Chef Krishna Kumar's kitchen is pretty self-reliant. It does not have to rely on seafood contractors from the city for its daily produce.

The fishermen from the Kovalam Village on the beach oil up with the catch of the day each morning. There's lobster, crab, calamari, prawn, seer fish, pomfret, mackerel, sardines, all coming up to the door. Really, the fish from the bay will have to take a holiday and go elsewhere before Chef Krishna Kumar buys his seafood from outside! And with all this fresh produce, you would be a glutton for punishment if you asked the chef to make you something else for lunch and dinner.

His marinations are perfect if he's doing seafood in Indian curries, or by the tandoor method, and his grilled fish is to die for. I would walk the 32 kilometres from Chennai to Fisherman's Cove just for that!

FISHERMAN'S COVE,
Covelong Beach,
Chengleput 603112,
Tamil Nadu.
Tel: 04114 74 304 Fax: 04114 74 303.