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Adrift, a True Story of Survival at Sea THIS
is a story of Commander Bath who with his helpers, Himanshu, Rama Rao Sr and Rama Rao Jr, takes tourists, regularly, out to sea near the Andaman islands so that the latter can spot marine life. What was supposed to be a one-day trip turns out to be an ordeal for a couple of days. With limited water and emergency rations that were supposed to last for a day or two, the six are adrift on the sea. They are at the mercy of the weather and the sea. They start the trip as strangers but end up fighting the odds together. It is in matters like these that the endurance of human beings is tested. Situations like these bring out the best and the worst in the people caught in adversity. It goes to the credit of the entire team that they managed to keep their sanity and come out of the situation. Whether it was the love of the families back home or the determination to survive, the group that comprised people with diverse interests did overcome the odds, even though they had their weak moments. The author has captured such moments in a manner that the reader is gripped by the fear of the uncertain. One, then, is tempted to read the end of this ordeal but has to restrain oneself for a mature reader has to wait for the author to unravel the story. Sudarshan has written a gripping story which was somebody's experience but while reading it one forgets the difference between the narrator and the actual hero. Experiences like these are rare but are lessons of a lifetime and the author has done well to bring this experience to people so that they can appreciate life's blessings, however small they might be.
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The tourists, Bruno and Camille, are foreigners who had come for sightseeing but are marooned on a small boat, along with the crew. They learn to adjust too for when it comes to matters of life and death, one has no option. V. Sudarshan, the author of this book, came across this story through his friends who narrated it to him within half an hour. Intrigued, Sudarshan, then flew down from Chennai to Port Blair to meet Commander Bath and listened to the adventure first-hand before he penned it down. The author has rightfully captured this drama in real life because he grew up on the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Thus, it was not difficult for him to figure out how the sea which seems to be calm and innocent, a “liquid mirror,” as he calls it can turn to be very hostile and menacing. Commander Bath with his crew experienced it too and what an experience! They invent new methods to store water and then plan in such a way that it lasts. Commander Bath proves that his business is his passion for such perils are a part of a business that involves diving, snorkelling etc. but he ensured that his clients (who were his responsibility) reached the shore safe and sound. 