Sailing to Lakshadweep

 

    With the help of some good graced Lakshadweepians, we managed to reach our cabin, which was at the top of the ship. With much relaxation, our room was so nice and felt cozy- consisting of two neatly spread beds, one chair and a table with table lamb, shelves, neat bathroom and large looking glasses, which attracted me the most. In addition to that the ship is fully air conditioned. The public address system is working in the ship to broadcast messages. A lady was announcing the features as well as the do’s and don’ts in a ship and what are the measurements should have been undertaken in emergency cases, the punishments for those who are travelling without tickets etc. At first, it felt informative, but when the lady started repeating the same, we felt bored and reduced the volume of the speaker. Since we have woken up very early in the morning, we fell into sleep, as soon as we settled into the room. I woke up at 4 pm and ran to the window with a pinch of desperation that whether I missed the departure scene. With too much contentment, I found the same cement Dipo at my window. The ship hadn’t started her journey. At the time of sunset, we went to the deck. With much patriotic pride, I saw an Indian flag which was hung at the back deck of the ship. It was very interesting to watch the way in which a small vessel pulled M V Kavaratti to set her sailing.

    The view of Kochi from the deck of a departing ship is incredible. We passed the Taj, Kochi Muzris, where the biennale is conducting, the Chinese fishnet, a number of barges and passenger boats at the backwaters with a tan of the setting sun. As the ship was sailing, we experienced the difference between sailing at the sea and the backwaters. We returned to our cabin when the sea gets a little bit rough. I began to feel some uneasiness. There came the announcement for dinner. We left the deck for the cabin class mess, which was neatly arranged as a three-star restaurant. The staff were dressed in white and their outlook enhanced their hospitality. Two messes are there in small ships. One is the Cabin class mess, which is near to the Cabin class and the other is the Second-class Mess, which is exclusive for the bunk class passengers. The First-class Mess will usually be arranged elegantly and neatly and the second- class mess will be regular. As we were travelling for the first time, we were completely unaware of the mere existence of the Second- class mess, which seemed cheaper.  

    We ate Chapatti with chicken fry and a piece of water melon as our supper. Here I want to tell you something, water melon is a common fruit in both of the messes, as a piece of it will be served with each and every dishes. I cannot eat or with the mere smell of it will make nausea in me even at this very moment. The smell itself will remind me of the ship food and the mess and the whole other things which are happening in a ship and it will definitely make my mind disturbed. After food, we went to the deck once again to enjoy the beauty of night from the top a ship. It is an awful experience to look at the night sky as the fathomless is filled with numerous stars around a shiny moon.  The ship was paced with a speed of 40 kilometers/ hour. It is a very wonderful sight that looking into the sea from the backside of the ship as the ship is sailing. It resembles a kind of waterfall as the water is being pushed back by the ship. I remember once Rasha, the little daughter of one of my colleagues, overjoyed by the sight and alarmed “Ummaa…. Bahubali…..Bahubali….” , the film, Bahuabali was streaming successfully during those days. Only by this time, we looked at it and it was exactly like the waterfall scene in Bahubali where Ramya Krishna is drowned by saving her grandson.

    I felt seasickness, I was expecting it at every minute since I boarded the ship as I always feel at travelling. I often read instances of seasickness from stories and novels. It is something like vomiting or staggering and some irritating smell and all will make much disturbances. I could not overcome it even after travelling a number of times in ship. I used to avoid food whenever I board a ship and lay still on my bed still the disembarkation time. I ran to the cabin and fell asleep.                                                                                        

Radhika A, Assistant Professor of English, Al Shifa College of Arts and Science, Keezhattur