Weaved endlessly – man and the sea

He stands there.
As the waves rise, roar and die.
The solitary nerve in his heart comes alive;
He breathes fresh again, accomplishes fulfilment,
With contentment, Aroused from the acknowledgment.

In agony and ecstasy,
It was by his side ;
Conforming to his smiles and tears
Joys and fears.
Ever observing the expansion and contraction of his,
wrinkle-less and wrinkled face.
Weaved endlessly – Man and the sea.

The sea valued him, cut him to size, cursed him, and loved him too. Never was indifferent. It saw his father and his children. The introverted land-loving father and his emancipated, extrovert children. Children of joy and fun – modern mariners of intellect and enterprise. With the zeal like Jesuits, they broached to seek beyond the horizon. It became a theatre for the flexing of muscles for Philips, Nelsons, and Napoleons. The pedagogues brought it to the classrooms and demagogues flourished in it more. On its waves rode religion and politics, Christ and faith, cotton, silver, gold, and slaves.

Mankind dreaded this ever-restless blue mass of liquid called the sea, which became a stage for the projection of power and glory. However, each morning and evening people of various age, colours, views, and stations,  come close to it to add a look to many a look, for new features to appear. The old and senior cherish it as a record of their no longer potency, and the young would seek a new identification. It is a shrine for lovers and for lovers no more. For one explores its serenity and calmness far from the organic pollution, settled on a well-behaved stoic rock with the sea as an interpreter communicating in silence. For those in a forlorn state, it provides a shoulder to lean on in its anger, sombreness, rumbling, and grumbling which meets their hearts. The breaking and tossing of shingles and pebbles reflect their inner chaos. They take solace in understanding that there is one who understands them. The connoisseurs of literature, art, and aesthetics delight themselves by tapping the dusk and the dawn. Concentrating on pink against the horizon, musing in its making and breaking of form.

It demonstrated all shades of mood which humanity possesses. The intensity of feelings which the society has imbibed through the ages. The fear of the new moon night . The child like joy, innocence , freshness and purity. The virgin quality of its glass like stillness. The  scream of a hysterical woman in it cyclonic waves. The naughty youth like presence of the white horses. Its chameleonic  and coquettish behaviour; every thing.

The sea contains immense wealth and is recorded in Indian ancient Puranic stories. ‘Samudra manthan’ was executed by the ‘Devs and Asurs’  to explore the untapped reserve of the ocean. It was a collective effort of churning the Sea! It implies that the entire nation has to work together to seek wealth. The churning produced numerous precious objects and divine beings – such as ‘Kaustubha-precious jewel’, ‘Airawat elephant’, ‘Ucchoshrava horse’ , ‘ Dhanwantri the Vaidya’ , ‘ Kamdhenu Cow’ , ‘Varuni- Goddess of wine ’,   ‘Lakshmi -Godess of wealth’, ‘ Halahal – poison’ , ‘ Apsaras- Rambha and Menaka’ . ‘ Kalpavriksha’ -Divine tree’, ‘ Panchjanya- Divine Conch’   etc, and finally ‘Amrit’ was discovered which created a feud between ‘Devs and Asurs’ which persists till date! The contesting claims and conflicts and quest for fair distribution of wealth among and within nations. There are numerous symbols and motifs embedded in this story related to ‘Vishnu Purana’. The residence of Lord Vishnu is in ‘Kshire sagar – Ocean of milk’  with his wife Goddess Lakshmi and is lying on the ‘Shesh Nag- the serpant’. And,  indeed the wealth of the nations and the world is located in coastal cities by the sea be it Mumbai in India, Shanghai in China, or New York in the US. It is believed that once our earth was embedded in the sea and has emerged from there. Lord Shiva has kept the poison churned out from the sea, safe in his neck. The ‘nuclear button’ is safe and secure with him and he controls it- ‘God of destruction’!  We ascertain that divine beings, humans, animals, plants, and material wealth were the result of churning representing the entire creation!

Though space is the new frontier of exploration, the sea remains the primary arena of control by powerful nations. India protects its interests in the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the entire coastline which skirts the seas. China is asserting its presence in Indian Ocean waters by strengthening its nuclear submarine numbers.  The United States has no intention to dilute its presence world over through seas and various fleets.   

The sea has been there, it will be there. Man has been here, he will be here. Both unavoidable and omnipresent. With the world hidden in its womb, the sea remains infallible, insuperable, and incorrigible. It allows no one to tame it.  It beckons men of understanding , patience , tolerance , perseverance , fortitude, and wisdom . Remains the symbol of man’s infinite search for truth, of eternal flux of time that will never stop, of the final equilibrium that will never be achieved.  And,  the endeavour which will never cease.