Demystifying a Mariner’s Thoughts
Solitude has a tale of its own, reflected Prithvi. Sitting on the deck of his ship, sipping a freshly brewed cup of tea and gazing at the setting sun, he considered himself to be really alone and more than that he was away… away from his home, his family, his land and his friends. He was in his own world.
The vastness of the sea helps one to miss many a thought. It makes one forgetful of the past. But today, he did not know why he was reminded of that old lady whom he met while studying in Darjeeling. She was a Bhutia lady, wife of a late Indian Army Subedar and mother of two sons. She used to work as the care-taker of the local tea garden and run a shop adjacent to the office of the tea-garden owner. She was an entrepreneur in her own right; she employed two people who helped her with packing and selling the garden-products to the tourists.
Prithvi first met her during his initial days in Darjeeling. He spoke to her whenever he was confused or disturbed or just like that. He found lots of positivism in her and believed her to be someone self-made. After her husband’s death, she took it upon herself to bring up her children in the best possible way she could. He learnt from her how to face hardships with determination in the mind and a smile on the lips because we do not always want to show our discomfort to the external world.
Time flew, Prithvi worked hard, scored well in his board exams, cracked the Navy exams, got selected and now after 10 years of a job well done, he is the captain of the ship, the Maria - which is acclaimed to be one of the best vessels of the Indian Navy. He has learned how to navigate through the rough waters, sail along the right direction and reach the destination in his job and, perhaps, also in his life. The road to success has been a decent journey for him, with stumbles at places least expected, with speed and guidance at the right time and with lots of self-motivation.
It reminds him saying to his little son, Priyash, “Beta, it was not a child’s play. I worked hard, very hard because of which I am where I am.” But that little kid could only wonder why his dad was telling him those. He replied to his dad saying, he knows that he would get the toys which he wanted and he could play with those for the whole day. Where is the hardship there? Hardship, may be, is in completing the homework or gulping down the glass of milk which his mom forces him to. But he is fine doing them as long as he gets to play with his Roboton and that red tricycle. He had no answer. He imagined a kid's mind to be like water, gullible and transparent.
Prithvi’s train of thoughts got derailed abruptly by the sound of the evening whistle. He needs to sit with his fellow crew to know about the updates of the day. He left his arm-chair and the almost setting Sun with a thought in his mind - Success is not the pay-off, it’s the journey to learn more, commit lesser mistakes and set examples on the way. And a dad’s mind assured itself saying Priyash would pick up this lesson very aptly.