Nature can be cruel!

The other day a young colleague of mine, was talking about a recent aeroplane journey that she experienced. Apparently the weather was poor and I suspect she was travelling by a propeller driven aircraft, causing severe turbulence and discomfort.

A pitching aircraft, effects people differently. For me, I freeze in my seat and my palms break out into a cold sweat.This after having flown for the last twenty years all over the world. My colleague continued that her fellow passenger, opened a copy of the 'Hanuman Chalisa' and began chanting shlokas.

This comment took me back several years to my own experience with the 'Chalisa'. The year was 1998.My ship was at Kandla Port, on the Gujarat coast when we were hit by a cyclone the eye of which passed right over the port.

The devastation was, massive. Ships were damaged, port property destroyed and human lives lost in thousands. Following the devastation, the authorities, feared an epidemic, as rotting corpses, lay around on land as well as on the sea. Disposal of the dead was taken up on a war footing and bodies were burnt on a continuous basis.

The acrid smell of burning bodies & destruction, took many of us to a psychological low, though our ship escaped with minimal damage.

A friend & I would venture out, once in a way, and my friend, a firm believer in ghosts and such would chant the 'Hanuman Chalisa', while glancing over his shoulder, in fear. Fear being contagious I too would chant, along with him.

Harking back, I guess the sight would have been a funny one. Two folk, moving at a healthy clip, in the dark,chanting the Hanuman Chalisa, at a rising decibel level.Except that the dead were fiery farewell all around. Over the years the fear of ghosts has gone but I have retained the habit of chanting the 'Chalisa'.

To give you an idea of nature's fury, let me tell you what I went through. The wind gusted to 250 Km/Hr, in driving rain, the visibility was almost zero. Tidal waves of up to 35 feet lashed the ship in all direction. Wind that blows at that speed, literally howls and believe me is frightening.

The experience taught me the Hanuman Chalisa and also gave me a healthy respect for nature.

I wonder how pilots deal with turbulence? Coming from a similar background I can tell you that men in command, generally have their heart in their mouth, but train to appear calm. I guess it goes with the turf.

As to my young colleague & her flight she made a safe landing and is back at work.