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Common people, uncommon zeal There’s life and adventure waiting beyond the age of retirement. Who can illustrate it better than Debi Mitra of Kolkata, who is about to set off on a round- the-world trip by sea at the ripe age of 77? Uttara Gangopadhyay reports.
HIS little boat was skimming across the blue ocean swiftly but surely. Inside, the man, bronzed now by his regular tussle with the wind and the surf, was tinkering with his pots and pans, preparing his meal of the day when suddenly a faraway movement across the horizon caught his eyes. He walked across to the porthole and looked outside. Whales, several of them, spouting water, were passing by. He smiled and got back to his cooking. Something else was in his mind. At the moment , successful completion of his solo voyage round the world. Imagination ran wild. What kind of person would this 77-year-old be who dared to think of something which many younger men would not dare to even dream about- circumnavigating the world in a boat all by himself ? If successful, he would be the first Indian to do so. Would Kolkata’s Debi Mitra be somebody like Thor Heyerdahl, the famous Norwegian of "Kon Tiki " fame, who sailed till his old age searching for the ancient mariner routes? The door was opened by a
frail, bearded man. But he looked quite unlike the mental image culled
from readings about great voyagers. There was no exchange of niceties
and Mitra straightaway launched into the subject, surrounded by piles of
canvases, work of himself and his wife. He was rather reticent about
discussing his forthcoming voyage. He was more like Phileas Fogg, the
hero of Jules Verne’s Round the World in Eighty Days, who tried ‘always
to avoid attention’. But you could sense the steely determination as
he talked of his great dream. |
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A mining engineer by profession, Mitra spent more than half his life in the USA. It was one of his friends in the US Navy who first inspired him to think about making a solo voyage around the world. The friend also gave him about 30 books highlighting the tales and experiences of voyagers of the world. The more he read the more determined Mitra became to undertake the journey. He underwent a training course at a San Francisco sailing school to get a feel of the act. "Reading the books, I realised that one of the most important aspects of the voyage is the boat," said Mitra. So he set about to design a boat that would take care of many of the logistical challenges. Since the cost of building the boat abroad would have been enormous, he chose a boat builder in Kolkata. Right now, the men are busy giving shape to Mitra’s dreamboat that would cost him nearly Rs 8 lakh. When he is not supervising his boat, Mitra is studying the nitty gritty of the route. Ocean currents, winds, chances of storms, busy shipping routes and a whole lot of things have to be taken into consideration. A solo voyager has to follow stringent rules to enter his name in the record book. Solo sailing by itself is considered a tough sport, requiring stamina, strength and courage. The sailor has to face the most difficult of conditions in the open sea. Stringent rules govern the game and even repairs have to be done by the soloist. Getting outside help is a disqualification too. Hence as a sport, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious but difficult ones. It also takes stamina and courage to sail in the apparently lonely world, having to face waves sometimes as large as a house and counter gales without support from another person. Does he think adventure is in his blood? To Mitra, it is a state of the mind rather than a matter of physical stamina. In his younger days, he never had the urge to climb mountains nor go river rafting. However, he has been a car-racing fan and had even owned a Dodge Viper sports car. The world of art and culture is not alien to him either. Presently, he is training in classical Indian vocal music as well as playing the sitar. He has already translated a book of poems by Rabindranath Tagore and is planning to start work on his second book of translated poems. It is his faith in himself that keeps Mitra fired. With an understandable volley of criticism coming his way, Mitra is not too keen to go ballistic over his dream. But his close friends are supportive and that’s some encouragement for him. He is also practical enough to have no illusions about the trial. "Even if everything goes right, I’d still have my hands full---steering the boat, cooking, keeping the log, repairing any damages. But I’ll also be working on my second book of translated poems." It sounds romantic but reminds Mitra, "The trial never arrives till you are in a storm." At present, what worries him is acquiring a long-distance radio transmitter and a satellite phone. Mitra will be sailing first to Chennai and he feels that during this initial leg of the journey, he will be able to gauge the boat’s performance. "Since I will not have time to make a test run, this initial leg will be very important. If necessary, I may have to make minor adjustments in the boat while I am in Chennai." Although right now it is too early to forecast about the outcome of the voyage, it will surely open a new world to the adventure-loving people of India. And inspire them too. If a septuagenarian can do it, why not others? Absolutely right. TWF |
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