A Submarine's Tale

A Submarine’s Tale

(Fictional Short Life Story - Prose)

Another chilly evening descends upon the city of Visakhapatnam. The tides rise and fall with much more intensity and fervor now. The crowds are beginning to grow more in number. I see all around me, People with their loved ones, enjoying at the beach forgetting a hard day’s work.People are visiting me, like they do every day since the day I retired. It doesn’t make a much difference for me now. I’m always at peace looking blissfully at the sea, the place where I rightfully belong to.

The day I was born, (Or should I say, Made), I still remember, it was a day, when the brutally cold winds of Siberia swept through the Russian Steppes. Scientists and Engineers of all kinds forged me with will of Steel and marveled at a job well done! Surely, they should congratulate themselves! I’m one of the best of my kind.

I am a Russian by design. But, I spent a greater part of my life serving India, and protecting the country’s maritime borders. I am a symbol of Russian – Indian Friendship and to some people, I am a just a Forgotten Relic of Cold War days. For around many years, In fact I forgot the count, I did my duty loyally and stoically.

I may be a giant piece of metal, but my dear Comrades, I had lived through the times of War and Peace with equal Rigor. As I swept majestically through the inner confines of the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, I was a part of many things. I listened silently to the whispers of Brave Sailors and Officers about their love stories. I took part in great battles which made me excel. I saw the sinking of a competing fellow, just a few nautical miles from where I stand now (He was PNS Ghazni). During the famous battle of 1971, I performed many missions in the Arabian Sea.

Today, I’m just retired. I’m lodged here as a museum ship. The Indian Navy still honors me as if I’m still active. All kinds of people marvel at me. But, I could not care less. I performed my duties loyally. I lost a few friends and I do miss them all. I miss the action. I miss the sound of an adjusting Persicope and the imminent fear of the blast of a Torpedo. Above all and everything, I miss the bravest officers and sailors who took great care of me more than their lives.

And my name? I am INS Kursara, a Submarine and This is my Tale!

References (If any)

1. Place and Date -

@ - INS Kursara Submarine (Naval Museum), Ramakrishna Beach, Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)

On -9th of November, 2015

2. Subject - INS Kursara - "A Submarine's Tale"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Kursura_(S20)

The Pachyderm of Prayaga

The Pachyderm of Prayaga

(Allegory - Poem) 

" Amidst a joyful banter in the jeep, I was away lost deep in my own thoughts,

And we stopped before Lord Hanuman’s Temple, yet I was still connecting the dots.

 The frustration of failure, the fear of future, the glory of the past and….

Somewhere among all these, I lay hopelessly drummed.

Then it was there that I saw, this pachyderm of Prayaga,

A Mighty elephant loyally bound, en route to Gaya.

I wonder what strength lies beneath the simple chains of the gentle giant,

 Is that legal? My brain asked but My heart is not quaint.

But as I look at it once more, and I feel that I’m this elephant,

Shackled by my own thoughts, the strength in me is not decadent.

And, the elephant trumpeted, a wake cup call not to plummet,

A sign that even a badly chained elephant could happily trumpet.

 I thanked the Pachyderm of Prayaga, for the invaluable lesson imparted,

To enjoy the simple pleasures of life, to live before being  departed,

And Most Importantly, - “To Trumpet happily every once in a while, forgetting everything” "

References (If any)

1. Place and Date -

@ - Lord Hanuman's Temple, Near Tiveni Sangam, Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh)

On -21st of July, 2015

2. Subject - Elephant (Allegory Poem) - "The Pachyderm of Prayaga"

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