As kids, we all have a dream job that we want to do when we grow up. Some people want to become teachers, some want to be doctors, and some people want to be presidents. When I was first introduced to the idea of becoming a seafarer, to become a sailor, it was from a neighbour who was the chief engineer in a Mediterranean shipping company. He became my encyclopaedia, and I learned a lot about the trade from him. The life of a seafarer is very interesting, to say the least.
The white uniforms in all their glory, don’t tell the complete story. The general perception about the merchant navy is that we get to travel the world, sail huge ships and get paid handsome salaries for it. The harsh reality is that we have to go through a lot of things to even be eligible to wear that uniform. The selection process for any maritime college includes a medical examination which is standard for any person who wants to join the merchant navy, irrespective of whether he’ll work as a deck-side entry or an engine room cadet. From the moment we join a maritime academy we become cadets pursuing shore training in a regimental academy.
I’m Cadet Mukund Singh, Ship no. 7664, and I’m under training at the Indian Maritime University, Navi Mumbai campus, on the training ship Chanakya.
Training ship ‘Dufferin’ was one of the first vessels to be deployed for training cadets off-shore in 1927 under the British Royal Navy. After serving as the training ship for India’s best sailors, it was replaced by the training ship ‘Rajendra’ in 1972. In 1993, ‘Rajendra’ was replaced by the new on-shore campus training ship ‘Chanakya’. We are the heir to the legacy of India’s best merchant navy training academies for deck cadets.
My life as a mariner started with the realisation that sporting a crew cut and being clean shaven at all times was a must. Instead of greeting our captains who teach us, we have to salute them. Punctuality is a virtue that we have to instil in our systems. Different academies have slightly different routines but the crux remains the same.
We all have to muster in the morning at 0600 hrs for the practical training drills. At 0800 hrs, we muster before breakfast which is followed by a scholastic hour muster at 0900 hrs. The academic hours start from 0930 hours and goes on till 1730 hrs with a lunch break of an hour at 1300 hrs. I go for my football games or swimming in the evening. 1900hrs is muster time before dinner and a final night muster at 2100hrs. The uniform keeps us going because we have to report in all musters and classes in uniform. You can’t even visit the mess hall without being in uniform.
It is a regimental course at the merchant navy where living in the hostels is compulsory. Going out of campus is allowed only on holidays. You need special permission called “shore leave” to go out on a working day.
When we spent the first Diwali in college, it made us realise that ‘home’ is a feeling, we all are going to miss for the major part of our lives. It also made us realise that ones we are at sea it’s our crew that becomes our family away from home. Our seniors act as guardians, and juniors always need guidance like the young ones in the family. Festivals have been redefined, and friendships are bonds like nothing else. From organising DJ nights on Holi to Ramleela on Dussehra, these events come to life only when all the cadets put in their efforts as a team.
After spending two years here, I feel more than just blessed to be on a campus that’s on the shore, right next to the ocean. This is a life very different from what people spend in regular colleges but it is equally rewarding.