I am fascinated by the sea! Well, who isn’t? But mine is a deep fascination, a life long love affair!
Today, as I am sitting here on Jumeira beach, the words of John F Kennedy ring in my ears; “ It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and therefore we have salt in our blood, in our sweat , in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail, or to watch it, we are going back from whence we came”
The sea rejuvenates all the senses. The feel of wet sand beneath the feet, the unique scent of sea, the sound of crashing waves, the taste of salt in the air, and the sight of vast expanse of water! A treat to senses!
The sea keeps me fascinated for hours. The vastness, the loss of track of time, the crashing of waves, the sheer magnitude of water! It’s amazing! There is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea and music in its roar.
I have a lifelong attachment with sea. In my hometown the sea was never far. Beaches were clean, accessible and affordable. As a little girl, I frequented beaches with my family. It was our favorite picnic spot. I would climb on my father’s shoulders, who was a very good swimmer, and he would take me to the deep waters of sea. He kindled the love of sea in me. Me and my brothers would make castles and houses of sand like all kids do! We would collect empty shells and compete that who got the loveliest and the biggest. Ah! The carefree joys of childhood! Rabindranath Tagore beautifully explains this in his poem ‘on the seashore’:
“on the seashore of endless worlds the children meet with shouts and dances,
They build their houses with sand and they play with empty shells.
With withered leaves they weave their boats and smilingly float them on the vast deep
Children have their play on the seashore of worlds…..”
Then as an adolescent, friends and seashore was the most exciting combination! There were fishing trips, geography assignments and many other reasons to visit beaches regularly. The air would vibrate with our girlie giggles. The geography assignments were just an excuse to have hours full of fun, with sand and sun!
Years passed in this blissful manner with sea being a constant factor in my life. The girl had grown up all starry-eyed. The love of sea had taken a new meaning. Now instead of collecting empty shells I was collecting dreams in my eyes while walking hand in hand with my beloved on the moonlit beaches. I was no longer building sand houses but beginning to build my home. Ah! Those lovely dates by the sea ,when silence was more eloquent than words.
Fast forward a few years, and I was married and camping on a lovely island in Eden
A few months later I was jet skiing in the sea at full speed while expecting my first child. Nothing could keep me away from sea. Fast forward three years, I was vacationing in my hometown, expecting my second child, and swimming in deep waters of sea with my first born. Carrying him on my shoulders, removing his fear and trying to make him appreciate the sea.
A few years later we were holidaying on the scenic beaches of Goa with our two sons. Delightful days with sand and sun, hours of swimming, parasailing, jet skiing and lazing. It was so much fun. My sons played all those games that I had played as a child on seashores. They loved the sea. I was reliving my childhood. The love of sea was running deep in the family.
Today, I am sitting on this beautiful Jumeirah beach with my sons who are loving it just like their mom and enjoying each moment of it. I can feel the wet sand under my feet, the breeze blowing through my hairs, can see the vast expanse of water before my eyes. It is a different sea, a different horizon! But my love for sea is same. While I observe my sons building castles, collecting shells and pebbles, splashing water at each other, I can see the flashes of my life. It has come full circle. On the distant horizon of memory I spot the image of the little girl playing on the seashore with her brothers and hear her delightful squeaks. I also see the teenager , frolicking with her gang of giggling girls. And then I see the girl with dreams in her eyes! The sea has opened the dams and my mind is flooded with overwhelming memories. While my sons are being rocked by the waves , I am being rocked by the powerful waves of memories. While they are busy collecting beautiful shells, I am collecting fragments of beautiful memories. And in my heart I know that my bonds with sea will remain strong forever. I find myself echoing the words of John Masefield:
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide,
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying
And the flung spray and the blown spume ,and the sea gulls crying.
I know I will keep going down to the sea again and again!
