The Ferryman Speaks

An amazing trip to the Aran Islands organised by the Indiansoc helped me rekindle my tryst with my own self. After being down in the dumps for most parts of the past quarter (as an Analyst would put it) due to a dozen of reasons, it certainly was more than a breath of fresh air. I met a very interesting man or rather a character along the way, he would surely fall under the sexagenarian category. He plied by his trade in a very practised way, had a very calm but unadventurous demeanour to his personality, but after having tete-a-tete chat, there were so much more than what met the eye. It all started off with our band of boys reaching just off-time, we were precisely 10 minutes late before the bus left from NUIG. As we entered, We saw 70 odd people waiting for us with a can-we-punch-you-please expression. As we walked through the aisle, we saw or rather I saw many faces, some I could have a pint with and a lot of unknown ones too. While buying my tickets for the trip I had promised myself I wouldn’t end up being the silent penguin and would surely make new friends before the day ended. 

THE WORMHOLE

We reached the Aran Islands, Mind you, It was nothing short of spectacular. This opinion coming from someone who prefers his cocooned bedsheet to the outdoors, it surely must be something. We reached a place called The Wormhole, on googling the first few results would only paint a rather terrifying than a pretty picture of this beautiful location. It’s a natural rectangular shaped pool into which the sea ebbs and flow at the bottom of the cliffs south of Dún Aonghasa on Inis Mór (Inishmore). It is also a location for Red Bull Cliff Diving. While atop the black fort, another gorgeous sight, I sat there contemplating the year gone by, I met with peace and turmoil, amongst my thoughts, in equal parts. One question remained unanswered, How does one handle grief? Is there an elixir for it? As I had done with countless Multiple choice questions all my life, that I wasn’t able to answer, I skipped this question too. Apart from the wormhole, the other amazing places within our itinerary were - The beach of Inis Mor, The Black Fort, The Seven churches. The Aran Islands are surely worth a visit.

POPEYE - THE SAILOR MAN

The most interesting part of the story was chronologically arranged on our way back home. We boarded the same ferry once again. While I was drunk (with happiness, of course) I gained the audacity to enter the cockpit, it was supposedly a restricted area, I wanted to see what the inside of the Mini-Ship / Ferry looked like. And there I saw the protagonist - The Ferryman - Captain Robert. A wise man, to say the least. A man who’s lived his life worthy of telling a tale. Little did I know, a conversation going forward was about to be the best part of the trip. He gave me an answer and asked me question both left me in splits.

WISE WORDS OF THE FERRYMAN

The Ferryman who always wanted to be a Poet says - She looks in a good mood today, unusually calm. She's only so quiet when she's about to throw a fit. I've known her long enough and I still wonder what she'll do next. Ahey... Doesn't matter, I still love her. She looks beautiful today (He passes a gingerly smile as he talks about his valentine - The Sea). He went onto narrate a story where he had lost his dear ones whilst at sea and I promptly interrupted and asked him, Then how do you handle grief, Captain? ( as I tried to find a cure for my aching heart, from a similar kind of a loss), A few seconds of deafening silence gave way to a brilliant line by the ferryman, stating ‘I don’t handle grief, It takes care of its own’. Leaving me spellbound, as I had tried many a thing but what the captain had answered. 

‘I don’t handle grief, It takes care of its own’ : Captain Robert - the Poet

He threw a question at me, He asked ‘Have you been generous enough, lad? I didn't have an answer to his question, while he answered it with utmost panache by preaching a brilliant quote from the bible - "The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered", he continued "Your boat too will surely find its shore one day". I stood there, rooted to the spot, as quiet as a whisper.

LEARNINGS

Most of us are trapped pursuing an education that we’re hardly passionate about. Doing jobs that we hardly love, There is a painter, sprinter, dancer, footballer, astronaut, actor and countless other professions, buried amongst everyone reading this, that we dream as a kid. But then, fate struck and we let it command our sails. The ferryman, in his own words, wrote his best poems while he was at sea and wrote about the sea. His passion and profession were completely disconnected from one another, But he managed to pull the strings and make his acquired profession a happy place. We are fed with the ‘Follow Your Passion’ tagline so much so that it makes you ordinary, but good, lifestyle look like a crime. No! it is not. Giving up things you love, for the greater good is also an act of bravery. Kudos to everyone fighting through everyday lives, you're doing a wonderful job. On trying, there indeed can be harmonious sync, between the occupation at hand and the one you dreamt of. Passion and Profession can go hand in hand, if you want to.

GRATITUDE - THE INDIAN SOC

A big thank you from my side to the entire crew of Indiansoc. Especially my friends - Ganesh, Saurabh, Saket, Balaji, Rajdeep and all the others involved (Pardon me, If I have missed a few names). You did a splendid job guys. The trip went like a breeze, Loved every bit. Go Raibh Maith Agat.