Exam Days: wally 'n Fluffy

Tribute to "Shooki" the shark.........Remembering Pradeep "Shooki" Shukla, on his first anniversary. Privileged to celebrate your life through my sketches.  Rest in peace bro!  

Seafarer's Log: Palk bay chronicles, A season of Giving, Owning, Losing and resurrecting Hope!

       

Once I was scrolling through the timeline in twitter and I found an interesting line from a handle called “Uberfacts” which read that there’s an autonomous nervous system situated somewhere in our gut, eventually coining the term “Gut-feeling” and it can almost be correct…Almost!  If this tweet is an epiphany for many then the immediate character who utilized it in a very recent occasion would be George Clooney in his movie “Gravity” where he repeatedly informs Houston about his ‘gut feeling’ about the current mission and within minutes it proves correct. 

Frankly, i had such a hunch before this deployment and it was more or less correct....but there's no giving up ....we're here to stay!! And we move on......

This time I started my second phase of an unfinished job in the same location, Indo-Lankan IMBL.  The weather warnings were present speaking about the presence of a well marked low pressure building up south of Sri Lanka and a high possibility that it can make way through the area of my operation.  The ocean was calm and calmer as we were approaching the area.  The visibility at sea was the best ever I had encountered, a whooping 25 Nautical miles, where I could see the TV tower situated in Rameshwaram, the southern tip of peninsular India. 

The cloud patterns were so magnanimous that sunrise and sunsets was a feast for the senses.  Believe me, there exists a brief moment of calmness before the storm!! And it happened so.  The sea started picking up very slowly and reached wind speeds upto 45 knots (again a first time for me) and heavy passing showers, we all hoped that our anchor holds well.  The sleepless watches made each n everyone’s vision into a tunnelled one taxing the body and mind.  But, tough times never last…and so the storm weathered, and we were back in action. 

Once again I had an opportunity to set up a tidal observation camp in a place called ‘Sethubavachathram”  a village 6 kms south of Mallipattinam, Tamizh-nadu.  As usual me and my fellows were greeted as V.V.I.P, tell me why ?? because  (in my opinion) the only people who reach a remote area on a helicopter are either politicians or tide-camp setting up party!! The entire children of the village created a human barricade for us to transit to the nearby harbour where we will be doing the rest of setting up, imagine Pipe piper of Hamelin may be that’s the befitting explanation.

As we were into further actions of our setting up of tide camp the number of spectators grew thin and eventually none were there, except the watchmen of trawlers.  There I met a boy who just completed his graduation, named Tamizh-arasan, translated term would be “the King of tamizh”.  Hailing from a fishermen family, surprisingly a graduate in Commerce but unaware of what to do next. 

To be frank, we generally come across many kind hearted villagers who , no matter what, are ready to help us in our job. Initially I thought that Tamizharasan would not disappoint since his posture exclusively fell in that category.  But he stood apart, breaking all my illusion about what a boy who hopes a better future would be.  As our setting up part progressed so was the conversation with the boy, and he helped us in finding an accommodation nearby in a reasonable rate with an assurance that all required help for my crew , who will be in the area for the next 2 weeks, will be provided.  Tamizharasan lacked all the logistics back up (technically), and all I could understand was a helplessness of a guy who just completed his education with all the might but still finding himself being sucked up into the sea as a fisherman.  The best I could do…??? I promised him….i promised him that I would get back to him through letters and possibly get him all required books and materials.  As this is a hope I’m giving him and I would like to hold the fort as long as possible. 

As our work progressed, the morale and spirit of us seamen was put to test by none other than the unforgiving sea, swell, winds all fuelled to the epitome by the scourging summer.  One by one the tolerance of the equipments wore out.  As the saying goes, pressure and time can make diamonds at the same time it can make steel wires snap and as a result lose your vital equipments, or sometimes (the worst) can make a human brain snap briefly.  And that’s exactly what happened; one of our equipment vanished! Possibly thrown overboard by a brain who snapped….and then starts a long procedure of enquiries pointing fingers to every nook n corner and to every tom, dick and harry!!  I was not spared either….as I found myself in the suspect’s list (once again in life).  What a pity!! That the very own thing that you try to outrun, seeks you and embraces you…like a never ending vicious cycle.  The hope for finishing a phase of the job broke in its very own foundation. 

As on this day, the 25^th May as I sit in my cabin listening to the random tracks playing in the laptop I feel the pain, the tiredness, the agony at this unforgiving moment.  At such situation the only place I stare into is the vastness, and that unknown aura of the ocean which soothes you, like an unknown method of meditation,  where you and only you can speak to yourself, to the wind, to the waves and that relentless spirit of ocean.

And then the track aptly appeared on my pc, “high hopes” by pink Floyd....

Seafarer’s Log: Chronicles of Palk bay

In my point of view, the only thing that makes my journeys stand apart is the “Surprise factor” and its subsequent effects!  So here I am again in such a situation.  

By the beginning of this March, we were assigned to Palk Bay, the historic bay which acts as the International maritime boundary line (IMBL) between India and Sri Lanka.  Now, that IMBL happens to be an imaginary line drawn which can only be ascertained with some pretty good GPS sets.  And those who doesn’t know it eventually ends up in a prison in Jaffna in Sri Lanka for a high degree reason; INFILTRATION!! 

So, we manoeuvred carefully within the limit as not to disturb our friendly neighbour and anchored off the light house of Point Calimere.  Every hydrographic ops starts from a point which we call as Bench mark, which subsequently paves the way for setting up of a tide-pole for the observation of high and low tides and a couple of our crew to carry out that for the duration of the survey.  Being in this act for some pretty time I was ‘nominated’ for setting up the Tide-camp in a place called “Kodiyakkarai” which is in the South-Eastern edge of Tamil-Nadu state. 

In total, each and every nook ‘n corner of the Indian peninsula has been surveyed since 100 years (or more) but it requires constant updating of the details which are (technically) called as bathymetry which in turn keeps us hydrographers employed.  So, me and my crew along with a surprise member; my logistics officer (which was highly unlikely), were dropped at Kodiyakkarai by helicopter for the setting up!   The stay and accommodation for my crew was arranged in a nearby support-station, but the observation post was around a kilometre and half from the base. 

To begin with some history, the Tsunami which hit the coast way back in 2004 December in its own way altered the geography of that place, for example the old harbour jetty is now on land , the old fish landing centres were completely wiped out and new ones are further inland….hence the area is a kind of secluded and is a smooth combination of peace and spookyness……and so on and so forth!   

By the time we completed our setting up of camp I was informed that we wont be picked up by the chopper as it was already nearing sunset.  As a blessing in disguise my Logistics officer whom we call as LOGO proved to be worth his salt! He managed an all-exclusive get-together a.k.a party a.k.a camp fire for us!! While me and my chaps were busy with setting up I could see our LOGO was having some serious conversation with the local fishermen and that bugger managed to get some fresh catch and bartered it with some simple things , for example, fresh fish for a packet of coffee powder, the preparation of the fish for a couple of cigarettes.etc.  

The observation post as I coined earlier is far away from our support base in the premises of a salt-water pump house which pumps the sea-water to the nearby salt pans which extends about 3-4 Kms inland.  The added advantage being none is gonna come there except the pump house operators.  Altogether six of us, contributed a small amount and ‘deployed’ one of our crew to fetch some ‘essential’ things for the night.   Meanwhile everyone was searching for firewood which was gathered in less than an hour.  

The messenger came back with some Malabar ‘porottas’, scrambled eggs, extremely spicey-fried fish and the Master of Ceremony a Brandy named “Morpheus”  to which I almost imagined that Morpheus from the movie Matrix who greets Neo with his epic dialogue “Hello Mr.Anderson, we meet again!!”

The camp fire was inaugurated and Mr. Morpheus entered into our veins and the only thing which could save us mortals from this matrix world was a phone call in our mobiles.  Honestly, it was one great bitching session about everything, and everyone was pouring their hearts out.  The old wood from those de-commissioned catamarans found its salvation in that camp fire as they were being engulfed into the fire!  Actually the catamarans got its name from the Tamil term “Kattu-maram”, which means boat made of tied-up-wood, which eventually found its way into the English dictionary and was seasoned with some pepper n salt and spices and made it as Catamaran!!.   As the night moved on the eye lids were slightly heavy and we all were in the Matrix and yes in between we attended our phone calls but preferred to get back to the Matrix asap! 

The camp-cots were arranged next to the fire and the semi verticality became complete horizontality.  All our conversations died down, now its silence all around except the waves breaking, winds screeching and occasional howling of foxes somewhere far!  All my attention was in the sky, as sleeping outdoor is still a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity.  The faint appearance of the milkyway and just wondered that these were the extravagant scenes which I wanted to share with many somewhere in the past, and that times are gone but still the stars and heavenly bodies are still there ….somewhere in between that matrix I let myself remove the pin from my brain and slept off!! 

As the twilight emerged everything was back to normal except a spider bite on my neck to which I secretly worried that I might become spider-man within no time.  Bid adieu to those pump house watchmen and rest of my crew who were to stay put at that camp for another fortnight.  While we were transiting at fairy-5 in a helicopter I was just wondering about the last 24 hours because I never asked for it, but that time searched and found me….and I was supposed to be there, perhaps it must be the games of nature or destiny or karma…all I could remember that I was there…with all my heart and soul…I was there. 

I smiled at my LOGO who never fails to fix a wide smile and nodded with courtesy....

*The chopper cruising at 90 knots and an emerald green sea down below, with small fishing boats heading to the sea ….and back to reality!*