A few summers back I along with my family went on a cruise from Kolkata to Andaman. It takes about 66 hours from Kolkata port to reach Andaman. The ship has to cross the North eastern Indian Ocean to reach the group of 572 islands, of which 38 are inhabited. Astonishingly Andaman still has a tribe of inhabitants called the Sentinelese people, who might be the only people currently perceived to not have reached further than a Paleolithic level of technology. So much for the geography and anthropology lessons, let's talk about the journey.
In our ship there were about 600 people from various parts of India along with a few foreigners. For my parents and wife, this was the first time they were travelling by a ship. More than excitement my mother and wife were worried about the ship getting capsized or any of us falling sick. My father as usual was hovering around the bar and enjoying his fill of whiskey. As my father is an aficionado of inexpensive whiskey, he was experiencing some difficulty digesting the branded liquid. The cruise we were on was named MV Nicobar. The atmosphere on the deck was lively of laughter and celebration with the exception of a few aunties who were busy with chanting Mahamrityunjay Mantra. The captain had announced we may have to face squall at around midnight but overall it was going to be a pleasant ride.
I selected a corner on the forecastle of the deck and gazed at the infinite sea. The time was about 5 pm and the sun ambled towards the horizon. A thought struck my mind, aren't we all moving vessels, a ship. We too ride on the waves of life trying to reach one destination after another. We make some 10-20 favorable decisions in our lifetime among thousands of unfavorable ones, like those 38 habitable islands out of 500 odd ones. Resembling the Sentinelese people, our heart too has a part which doesn't want to let go of the past. No matter how many novel experiences we have this little island in our heart has chained itself to the ancient ways and is quite comfortable in it. Identical to the 600 different individuals travelling on our cruise, our mind is also filled with 27 different emotions. Each has their own distinct nature and personality. Each emotion reflects in a different way across our face and eyes. We carry our own distinct vibe in everything we do irrespectively in the situation. Although our journey as we know was ferrying all of us to the same destination under the same situation some were enjoying the moment they were in whereas others were actively worrying about the future. On this ocean of life too irrespective of happiness or grief some people are more skilled than others in maneuvering their ships through the high tides. Then there are few lost souls who have found a way to cheat the situation they are in by filling their vessel with alcohol and other drugs. They display signs of enjoyment but if at all they are doing so is something to ponder upon. We were fortunate the captain had forewarned us about the midnight squall so that people can adjust their bucket of emotions but life is not so cooperating. While ferrying our vessel through life, we don't typically receive any tip off. We have to face the storm, squall or typhoon on our own and later on display the badge of experience in its name. I guess in the end what matters most is who remains the captain of the ship.
As promised, Mr. Andrews, the captain of MS Nicobar delivered us to our destination after the 66 hour long journey.
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A ship and me
Non-FictionA ship is not much different from a human riding on the waves of life. Both have their own ups and downs, both are filled with emotions.
