The ship approached her assigned berth cutting across the strong ebb tide. The Captain , myself and the navigating officer with binoculars hung around our necks stood on the monkey island of INS Beas. Light breeze kissed us gently. The very English in demeanour and speech Punjabi captain was in absolute control;cool as a cucumber. His time spent as clearance divers had programmed into him the sense of a fish and he understood the strength and directions of current as no one else . Starboard thirty , stop both engines he ordered . The navigating officer passed the orders , the quartermaster at the wheel acknowledged it by repeating the orders. The quartermaster sounded the engine room on telegraph and put the wheel to starboard with a quick smart rotation of the wheel. Both engines stopped, thirty of starboard wheel on sir the quartermaster spoke back on the conning intercom after its execution . Very Good said the navigating officer. The ship turned to starboard gradually and smoothly and her speed dropped. The tidal current caught the ship on her port side and the she drifted towards the jetty easy , gradually and smoothly. Once the ship pointed towards the jetty at an acute angle the wheel was ordered to be put to midship. About 15 meters away from the jetty the very smart able seaman without any hesitation swung his right arm twice and threw the heaving line for the waiting berthing party on the IN Jetty , Cochin. The monkey fist of the heaving line hit the jetty , bounced and the agile seaman waiting at the jetty grabbed the line with both his hands. Pass the head rope I ordered on the ships broadcast. The heaving line was quickly fastened to the eye of two and half inch nylon rope . Once secured the seaman stationed on the jetty heaved the rope and ran away with it. The rope made a hissing sound as if it was a snake as it passed through the bull ring. The eye of the rope was secured to the stag horn on the jetty and figure of 8 turns taken on the ships bollard. The ship fell back by few meters due to strong ebb tide. Port thirty, slow ahead starboard the captain ordered nonchalantly . The order was passed to the quartermaster by the navigating officer and executed. The ship became nearly parallel to the jetty and almost stationary. The aft spring rope was quickly passed to the jetty and secured. Stop starboard, Midships was ordered . Both engines stopped wheel amidships sir the chief quarter master clear voice came back on the intercom. All yours number one he turned back and stepped on the short vertical ladder on his way to his cabin. I was dazed like a deer caught in the glare of intruding pair of headlights of a vehicle at his ability and skill of ship handling . Just three orders and he had placed the ship alongside. I had never seen such excellent ship handling skills. It did not take much time to pass the balance of the ropes. Awnings on forecastle and quarter deck were quickly rigged I too went down after having the ropes doubled up, gangway rigged and the ceremonial buoy placed on the jetty. A sentry dressed in clean ceremonial whites took post next to the buoy ,with his rifle bayonet fixed. I knocked at the captains cabin and pushed open the door. Cap under my armpit I reported to him that ship had been secured. That was an excellent ship handling sir I schmoozed imperceptibly . He said nothing. The Usha pedestal fan running at slow speed made swishing sound. Number one , how are our preparation going on for the pulling regatta ? he asked with a most humourless smile. It is fine sir, I think .... He cut me short No think and thought, we have to win, clear number one?he smiled with his brow arched. His ordered instructions were final and there was no scope to talk of anything else. Yes Sir ! I submitted meekly. With that submission the request for asking part of annual leave which I had in mind more than the praise of his skills disappeared in the thin air. How was I to give explanation to my wife was my burdened concern. Seasons come and seasons go. Climbing the Mount Everest is easier than asking for leave, especially if it is not in keeping with the officers leave forecast.The toast popped up from the Russian made toaster. My wife lifted the toast and spread butter on it. In her lap rested our second son, barely six month old. A bar of morning sunlight spilled through the window. A fly buzzed somewhere close. The boy was wide awake. The tuft of dark hair , the thick lashed brown eyes, the pink cheeks and lips the colour of pomegranate shone in the light. His hand balled into a fist . It rose , fell found a spastic path . He gave grin as if waiting for the answer about approval of annual leave. She placed my son in the crib. Meeyan , did you ask for the leave ? she questioned expectantly. I nibbled at the toast, sipped mouthful of milk, and asked her to spread little more butter on the next toast. Did you hear ! I am asking about leave , she persisted and handed over the toast to me. No , I did not. There are important things other than your sister marriage I grinned. I knew you wont ! she looked at me arms crossed. She too understood my predicament. Sea time as XO is indeed crucial .The promotion to the rank of commander was dependent on my performance at sea as an Lieutenant Commander . Request then for asking leave is as hard as eating a tough rubber steak . She handed over the marriage invitation card to me, tried to look cheerful and asked me to give the card to the Captain and then ask for leave. A shared cris brings people together. I hugged her. The envelope with the invitation card inside is not like Gandhi notes nor is the Captain a थानेदार । I said in a controlled humorous tone. The method has worked before for Seema and Ritu she reminded. I returned a cheerful smile. Her reminder was final and there were no more communication. No think and thought. I decided that I had to ask for leave, whatever be the Captains mood or decision. I lit a triple five and took a deep drag. I let out the smoke through my nostrils and composed myself. Tendrils of smoke snaked up towards the deck head. I sent for his coxswain and asked him if the Captain was busy. No sir , he is having coffee and reading the newspaper he smiled encouragingly . I knocked and entered his cabin. He looked at me inquisitively , leaned back on his swivel chair and gulped the last bit of coffee. My heart sprinting , I forced a smile and handed over the invitation card to him. What is it ? he asked shifting his weight in the chair. I took a deep breath and without being ambiguous this time very mathematically told him about my sister in law marriage and my need for leave. He opened the envelope , read the invitation and with a very polite attentive expression asked me how many days leave I needed. I could not believe what I heard. I let a smile escape my face . Ten days Sir. I repeated ten days. He lit a cigarette and squinted through the smoke. He blew at the match stick and let the flame killed. He dropped the extinguished matchstick in the brass ashtray made out of the 4.5 inch gun shell. He leaned back on his chair and said Put in your request I resisted the urge to bawl like Tarzan. Such was my sudden level of excitement. Buy me a paper mâché figurine about this big ,he spaced his hands apart for me to visualise the size. I said yes sir without having known anything about it and if at all I got to know , where the hell I would find it in Delhi. I had never before heard about a thing like paper mâché .His expressive eyes showed a mix of request and order. The Indian Airlines Avro took off from the INS Garuda airstrip . The verdant Kerala looked as scenic and beautiful as it looked from the sleeper coach of Jaynti Janta train. The flight terminated at Bangalore. I made use of the time available between the flights to take my family around the green city. I had been to Bangalore many years ago for the SSB. I asked the taxi driver to take us to the Brigade Road. My wife as is her wont did some shopping of Mysore silk. The flight to Delhi was un-eventful. Once in Delhi I was received by my father in law. He had been gracious to volunteer reimbursement of the air fare. I did not decline nor make any pretence of a refusal. It was within his means. He was then SHO Chandni Chowk police station. The weekly donation at the station by the traders of Chandni Chowk is comparable to that of devotes at the adjoining Gurudwara Sis Ganj. My brother in law was at the wheel of brand new Ambassador Mk II with floor gears. He was the proud owner of the car. Besides him sat my brother. Single and happy. There were only two seats in the front unlike the full sofa like seats very common in the cars then.In the rear I sat along with my wife and sister. One of the plus point of Ambassador car is that there is no limit to the passenger it could accommodate. Only five persons sitting in such a car was extreme luxury. He drove smoothly and we headed for Connaught place from Shakti Nagar in North Delhi. The drive via Rani Jhansi marg with shops of old truck tyres is not very exciting, but the thrill of having a joy ride in brand new Ambassador was exhilarating . We parked the car at The parking lot of Palika Bazar and strolled in. Palika Bazar was the mall of those times. The under ground air conditioned market is located below the inner circle of Connaught place . It hosts several hundered shops selling a diverse range of items. The prices are low and bargaining very common. As we walked through the Bazar leisurely my wife spotted a shop selling paper mâché figurines and assorted decorative mantle pieces. She tugged at me and pointed at them. It was for the first time I was face to face with what is known as Paper Mâché . It was an eureka moment for me as even though five days of my leave had elapsed I had not been able to sight a paper mâché figurine in the markets I was familiar .I was excited at the discovery and made a quick rush to the shop. My companions followed me. My brother in law who prides himself at bargaining took the lead. All of us unanimously selected a figurine of a women in scanty revealing clothes. A Zeenat Aman in white of Ram Teri Ganga dirty kind. Rs 400 was the last price agreed. I forked out four crisp hundred rupees note and handed them over to the shopkeeper with a smug smile. He returned the smile, a cunning smile. Seated in the car my wife held on to the Zeenat Aman placed in her lap as if it was the revered lord Ganesha. In him lay the source of my promotion. We decided to go back via Panchkuyan road. The largest and the tastiest samosas in complete Delhi are available in a shop located on this road. The price of each just 8 annas. Samosa held in my hand I along with my wife ambled along the road. The street had very little traffic and walking on it safe . The road also has a large number of furniture shops. The most unexpected happens when it is the least expected. On the foot path I noticed a large many paper mâché figurine spread out for sale. In it lay majestically the very same Zeenat Amman. I casually asked the vendor its price. Rs 200 he replied, waiting for the bargain to follow. I felt not only cheated but foolish too. What was I to tell my captain, was my immediate horrible apprehension . My wife shared my sorrow. Back in the car this time she placed the figurine behind her seat little carelessly . My. brother in law could not believe that the cunning smile of the smart shopkeeper was more of match than our smug smiles. Everyone laughed except me. If in a car and on Panchkuian road then visit to Karol Bagh is inescapable. Once the car was on Dayal Chowk we took the Arya Samaj road . A drive of about a kilometre and turn to the left we were on the famed Ajmal Khan road. The road is a shoppers paradise. A large number of stores selling garments, cotton yarn and embroidered garments are located here. Fancy stores, big international labels and all kinds of Indian eatables and masalas are also available here. In the evening after the shops down there shutters the road is occupied by hawkers of all kind. They sell cheap goods at affordable price. We made it to indian ice cream shop Roshan Di Kulfi just in time. We gorged at the mouthwatering kulfi dressed with dollops of faluda thrown carelessly on its top. It was a pleasant walk. As If shock and awe at the foot path shop at Panhkuian Road was not enough my sister spotted Zeenat Amman being sold here too. She easily walked up to the hawker and inquired the price. 100 Rupees he hollered. My sister squinted her eyes and said What ? OK madam take it for 80. She walked away . The vendor called her again. She quickly stepped away. My wife removed the Zeenat Amman from the back of her seat and dropped it in the cars dicky and sat back relaxed and comfortably. The joy ride back to Shakti Nagar had lost all its thrill . My worry was what should I tell the captain . My promotion rested on what i said. (a). The price actually is Rs 80 but I paid Rs 400. ( What a dope ! ) (b). It cost Rs 400.( A cheat if captain learnt the market price) (c). It cost Rs 80 and I pay the balance. ( Lacks courage to disclose the truth) (d) It is a present from me. ( Outright licking, not officer like) Three months later I was on my way to staff college , Wellington and cleared for the rank of commander .
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 17:20:16 +0000