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Thursday, March 5, 2015

Rescue at Sea


I put my hand inside the cupboard to pull out the shirt and from the side a folder dropped spilling all the contents on the floor. There were some old cards, clippings of some events from the newspapers, and some old stamps! The cards were sent by relatives on occasions like my birthday and wedding anniversary. A host of memories rushed through my head as I gathered them from the floor and deposited them inside the folder.

Among other things that caught my attention was a picture of mine with my younger brothers that had been taken in Dwarka, a coastal town in Gujrat way back in the year 1978! It was an year after I had joined the Navy when I was posted in Jamnagar to undergo a technical training. The month was June when my parents and younger brothers visited me , while they were on a trip to see Western India. On a weekend we all went to Dwarka, the town famous for “Lord Krishna’s temple’. We all went to see the ancient temple and on the way back to the hotel, we decided to take a plunge in the sparkling sea!. There was no regular beach but just an expanse of sand. The blue water was very inviting! So we all quickly changed and got into the water. I was the only one who knew how to swim while my siblings did not! With great confidence we entered the water but within minutes I realized that there was quick sand on the expanse and soon the sand bed vanished and my brothers started shouting in panic as the water reached the level of our head! I desperately tried to hold the hand of one of my brother while other one held my shoulder! I struggled and tried to move towards the shore, pushing my brothers towards the shallow patch! I could see one tall dark fisherman running in my direction as the world around me turned into a dark abyss as I gasped for breath!. I could now feel the sand bed once again under my feet, and saw the fisherman pulling my brothers away from me towards the shore. The few minutes seemed to be ages since I had entered the water! All three of us were coughing out the salted sea water and looked in the direction from where our savior had come only to realize that there was no one to be seen! The whole thing appeared to be surreal but a divine help had ensured that all three of us lived to see another day!

This episode taught me an important lesson of never to venture out in unknown water for the rest of my life. It filled me with optimism that power of goodness is omnipresent and in times of distress it is just at an arm’s distance to come to our help!

The life is one roller coaster ride and hope for a better tomorrow full of promises is what one dreams of as long as one lives  (https://housing.com/lookup)




12 comments:

  1. This sounds terrific... Even though the depth isn’t a matter for those who knows swimming, the mysterious sea/water always needs caution while we have no idea about its nature.

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  2. The sea is as dangerous as inviting it appears

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    1. True Jaishree! I have spent a good part of my life at sea, and agree with what you say!

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  3. Yes, hope is always there, may be just around the corner!

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  4. When I hear of sea and ship,it reminds of " Damodar Mandovi".
    My cousin was the Capt.

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    1. It becomes easy to relate with someone familiar in such cases:)

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  5. I could totally relate to this post for I experienced a similar adventure on the coasts of Muscat, feeling the omnipresent is always unforgettable!

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    1. Right Padmaja! Sea beaches are always inviting but one needs to be cautious when ex[ploring them!

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  6. Oh my! I could almost feel my blood pressure go up, reading your account. That must have been quite a day and obviously an incident never to forget.

    There are good people in the world. Stay hopeful.:)

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    1. It was a provedantial escape, Divya! A lesson learnt for life:)

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