Jaladuta Diary - August 1965
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SUNDAY 1
To start for Calcutta by the
Calcutta Mail via Nagpur
starting from Bori-Banrer(?)
at 19 hours in the evening.
Vide Ticket Dt 24/7/65
Luggage booked. Receipt
No. A116695 paid Rs. 12/20
TUESDAY 3
Reached at 65-A, Pachuriaghata St.
Ramkumar Bangur Dharmsala at about 1 p.m.
Sri Gobindlal Bangur sent his man to receive
me. Received letter from Chaitanya Bharati, New
Delhi Dt 1/8/65 and also from Govind Maharaj Dt
31/7/65.
THURSDAY 5
Sri Kanai Banerji coming today
to see me at any time.
FRIDAY 6
Morning to start for Mayapur
and return back in the evening.
The Journey
TUESDAY 12
To start for U.S.A. by
MV. Jaladuta from Calcutta
port (K. George's Dockyard)
FRIDAY 13
Today at 9 a.m. embarked on M.V. Jaladuta. Came with me Bhagwati, the Dwarwan of Scindia Sansir(?) Mr. Sen Gupta, Mr. Ali and Vrindaban. The cabinet is quite comfortable. It is owner's residence and therefore the sitting room, the bedroom and the bath and privy all equipped with first class materials. Everything is nice in the 1st class compartment and thanks to Lord Sri Krishna for His enlightening Smti. Sumati Moraji for all these arrangements. I am quite comfortable. The ship started at 1/30 p.m. very slowly from the dock (and) reached near Botanical Garden and stopped at mid-stream of the Ganges till 11 p.m. and then turned towards the front and started. It is quite steady. I cannot understand in my cabin if it is at all moving. I am so comfortable. The voyage was again stopped at 3/30 a.m. at Kalpi(?) near Diamond Harbor & Ganokhali(?) wideth(?) and detained for about 8 hours. The delta of the Ganges quite wide with shallow water.
SATURDAY 14
The ship started at about 11 o'clock in the morning majestically. I do not feel any jerking whatsoever. But on reaching the Bay of Bengal, there is tilting of the ship and little rolling also. The roughness increased gradually on the upper Bay of Bengal and I felt sea sickness. There was vomiting tendency and dizziness and I felt uncomfortable the whole day and night. The sea was foamy all through. It appeared like a big plate of water extending to 40 square miles but factually it was endless so, today. It is a vivid example of God's Maya because it appears like something but factually it is something else.
SUNDAY 15
In the morning I woke up and felt a little better but I felt no hunger. Took only a glass of lemon sikanjie [lemon drink/nimbu pani] but the head dizziness is continuing. Up to 10/30 I was in the captain's room, radio room, chatting with the officers. In the radio room they were despatching news to other ships. The captain's room is full with nautical paraphernalia. I saw a chart of different appearancial(?) photo of the sea. The grades are 0 to 10 degrees and I think we are passing on the sea between 4 to 7 points the scene of the 10th point was furious and the 12th serious. The captain advised me to take more solid food.
MONDAY 16
Today early in the morning I saw that the ship is plying on the surface of the sea almost on 0 degree of waves. Yesterday night was comfortable and although I did not take my lunch, I took a little chara-murki [puffed rice/chidwa] with milk. The ship ran all the night yesterday smoothly and the sky although not very clear there was moon light in the night. In the morning there was sunshine but after 11 the sea became a little more rough showing foamy waves from distance. After passing the latitude of Trichinopoli we experienced a dark cloud subsequently raining all over the sea. The siren sounded on account (of) hazy vision to warn other ships coming from opposite direction. At about 12 noon it is raining heavily and the ship is stopped moving occasionally sounding the siren. There is constant sounds of thunderbolt. This is the first time I am experiencing heavy rains in the midst of deep ocean. From 12 noon we are passing through cyclonic weather. The ship is tilting too much. I felt sea sickness all day and night. At 3 p.m. the ship turned towards Ceylon coast and we are now in the Ceylon water.
TUESDAY 17
Today morning the sky is scattered with cloud. The ship is going toward western side. I feel a little bit well after passing my stool. The ship is running against wind current. The sea is little rougher. At 10/30 we saw the south coast of Ceylon with a white light house. Two ships passed from the opposite side. Some daring fishermen were fishing in small boats. From distance they appeared to be almost drowned in the water but next moment they appear to be safely working. There is sunshine but the sky is not clear. The captain informed me that by next six hours we shall reach Colombo port. The hilly southernmost Ceylon coast is said to be 4 to 5 miles away from our ship. This means the fishermen were fishing in small boats 5 to 10 miles away from their native coast. Certainly very daring job. At about 2 p.m. we have now turned towards northern front. The sky is cloudy but we are forwarding steadily. Today I was better than other three days. At 3 p.m. the Colombo city became faintly visible from the ship. The colour of water in the India ocean is different from that of Bay of Bengal. The ship reached exactly at 4/30 in the port but the management of Colombo port could not receive the ship for want of berth and then it is anchored on the shore waiting to enter the port. At about 9 p.m. the ship was escorted by the Pilot and we entered the dockyard very old pattern(?) but there were many ships from various countries including passenger and cargo ships. At night the dockyard ships assumed a brilliant (sic:) espectacle on account profuse light. We rested the whole night the ship being anchored. Next morning barges loaded with goods arrived near the ship.
WEDNESDAY 18
Today 18/8/65 I felt quite normal and the sea-sickness completely removed. The ship remained silent the whole day on account of hazy sky and only a few loads of goods were admitted. I wanted to see the Colombo city but I could not make any arrangement. The ship was standing at the midstream and I did not like to go alone.
THURSDAY 19
The next morning 19/8/65 I informed my situation to Captain Pandia and he was very kind to take me to the shore in a motor launch. We dropped at Elizabeth gate talked with some Ceylonese clerks and then in a taxi we went to the office of Narottam & Pierera Co. The manager Mr. Banka was a Gujarati gentleman and he received us well. He arranged for me a good car to go round the city. The office quarter was quite busy and many foreign offices and renowned Banks were there. I saw the Governor General's House, the Parliament House, the Town Hall (and) one very nice sea-side Hotel and passed through very nice clean roads, bazars. The city appeared to be nice and clean and the small bungalows nicely decorated. It appears that people although not very good looking they are not uncultured neither they are tasteless. The city is quite up to resembling an Indian city like Madras and Poona(?) The buses and taxis were clean to see. The bus stands almost crowded like that of the Indian cities. The offices conducted almost in Indian style. The culture and civilization is Indian cent per cent but artificially India and Ceylon is divided. We starting for Cochin at 6 p.m. The ship started at 7 p.m., the pilot being late in reaching the ship. It ran for the whole night and next day up to 3/30 p.m. and reached the coast of Cochin. The ship is standing on the coast of Cochin without entering the dock.
FRIDAY 20
Today at (20/8/65) the captain arranged for a meeting on board the M/V Jaladuta on account of Janmastami day and I spoke for an hour on the philosophy and teachings of Lord Sri Krishna. All the officers attended the meeting and there was distribution of Prasadam. The matter was radiographed to Smt. Sumati Moraji in Bombay. The ship is stranded on the Arabian Sea about 4 miles away from the coast. We are in this position from 3/20 p.m. 20/8/65 to 9/30 a.m. on 22/8/65.
SUNDAY 22
At about 10 a.m. we are now in the dockyard of Cochin. The dock is peculiar because it is by nature full of small islands. Some of the islands are full with nice hutments formerly known as British Island. I saw my books from Bombay arrived in five cases and the agents loaded them on the ship at 4 p.m. on 22/8/65. The agent m/s Jairam & Sons kindly sent their car for my driving in the city. Out of the group of islands two big islands joined by an iron over-bridge are known as Cochin and Ernakulam. The iron over bridge was constructed by the Britishers very nicely along with railway lines. The railways line is extended up to the Port. There are many flourishing foreign firms and banks. It is (?) Sunday, the bazar was closed. I saw a peculiar kind of plantain available in this part of the country. The island known as Coachin is not an up to date city. The roads are like narrow lanes. The part of the city where the foreigners are residing are well situated. The buildings factories, etc. all big and(?) well maintained. The mohamedan quarters are separate from the Hindu quarters as usual in other Indian cities. The part known as Ernakulam is up to date. There is a nice park on the bank of the gulf and it is named Subhas Bose Park. It is good that Subhas Babu is popular in this part of the country. I saw the Kerala High Court and the public buildings, the High Court being situated in Ernakulam it appears that the city is capital of Kerala. This part of India resembles Bengal scenario and the city Ernakulum also Cochin appears to me like old Kalighat or Tollygunge area of Calcutta. The culture is Indian as usual.
Official Bhadra 31 days 18887 Saka
MONDAY 23
Today Annada Ekadashi
We started towards Red sea on the western front at about 12/30 noon. The sky was almost clear and there was sunshine since the starting of the trip from Cochin port. We are floating now on the Arabian sea. My sea sickness again began. Headache vomiting tendency no hunger dizziness and no energy to work. It is continuing. There are sometimes showers of rain but for a short time. There was a fellow passenger in my cabin. He is also attacked with sea sickness. The whole night passed
TUESDAY 24
Today at about 1/30 p.m. I enquired from wheel-room that we have come only 400 miles off the Indian coast. My sea-sickness is still continuing. I take my meals once only but today I could not take my full meals also although I was fasting yesterday. I (am) feeling uncomfortable.
WEDNESDAY 25
Beginning from today down
THURSDAY 26
FRIDAY 27
SATURDAY 28
SUNDAY 29
MONDAY 30
TUESDAY 31
Passed over a great crisis on the struggle for life and death.
A separate statement has to be written on this crisis area.