The Curse of the Flying Dutchman

A portent of doom hangs over the dark raging seas. The year is 1641 and the Dutch ship 'The flying Dutchman' is navigating the waters of the Cape of Good Hope on its return journey home to Amsterdam from the Dutch East Indies. The ship is filled with riches and its crew is looking forward to returning home and reuniting with their families after a long voyage. 

Her Skipper, Captain Hendrick Van Der Decken is a man in a hurry to go home.

Mr. Borse is the youngest in the crew and has ended up in the fated ship as a stowaway. Like the rest of the world, the happy go lucky Moroccan has the usual dreams of seeing the world, making money and marrying the girl of his dreams. He is on course to his dreams and is assisting the captain on the bridge, when the 17th Century vessel gets hit by fierce gales and killer waves. 

The fearful crew implores with the captain to head for the safety of the shore and ride out the storm. The captain will have none of it. He takes a swig of rum and contemptuously shakes a fist at the skies and yells "No storm has ever stopped me before and by Jove, it's not going to stop me now".

Howling winds bends the masts and rips the sails, monster waves sends the ship heaving and lurching. The crew finally cracks and there is a mutiny on board. As Mr. Borse looks on in terror, the captain, furious and vengeful, kills the leader of the rebellion and throws the body aboard. That's the end of Mr. Joglekar.

At that point, lightning floods the skies and a shadowy caped specter appears on the ship's deck hovering a few inches over the ground "You are a very stubborn man, Captain".

The Captain replies "I never asked for a peaceful passage, I never asked for anything. So clear off before I shoot you too". The captain draws his pistol and fires.  

The apparition cannot be harmed by a mere bullet and says “for this you are accursed, because of your actions you are condemned to sail the oceans for eternity, with a ghostly crew of dead men.  You will bring death to all who spot your spectral ship and you will never be allowed to make port or know a moment’s peace.”

Defiant to the end the captain replies, “Amen to that.”

Amid the cries of hopelessness and terror of her crew, the Flying Dutchman sinks to a watery grave. The sea has claimed yet another one.

Next day, in the wintery morning, the waters have calmed down and the sun is out in the soft breeze. From the still waters, a ghost ship surfaces from its watery grave. The Flying Dutchman has just started an eternal voyage across the world which will never end. Its life as usual as the gloomy crew of skeletons goes back mournfully to their daily chores of running the ship. They are well aware they are going to break all maritime records.

Mr. Borse puts on his favorite hat sadly and looks on despairingly at his grinning skull in the mirror. He raises his voice to the skies - "I didn't sign up for this. I want to go home!! ". The Dead captain places a fatherly (and a very bony) hand on Mr. Borse's shoulder blades and what is recorded as the understatement of the year 1641 says "Don't worry, all will be well". 

Over the centuries, the ghost ship has traversed the world round and round. The sighting of the Flying Dutchman has been a harbinger of disaster for Mariners. Ships have been led astray into hidden reefs by the ghost ship and sunk. Mariners cross their hearts and nail a horse shoe on their ships mast to ward off the omen of the Flying Dutchman.

So in the near future, if you are out in the ocean look out for a 17th century ship with full masts and a red glow. Look hard and if you see the captain waving a skeletal hand, you know what to do.

Utter a prayer and escape while you can!!!!!

Footnote: It takes whole of 300 years before Mr. Borse is finally (and the only one) released from the ghost ship. He gets reincarnated as a SAP CRM consultant and is now settled in Florida. He has seen the world, made money and married the girl of his dreams - not in that order though. However, from childhood Mr. Borse dreams of phantom ships and cannot understand the lure of the sea which seems to tug at him constantly. But he is afraid...deathly afraid to venture out even to the beach.

And he knows not why :)

The Magic of Nidhivan

The sight is strange. As the sun slowly finds its way home into the horizon, one looks on in wonder as hordes of birds and monkeys make a hasty and a very visible retreat from the woods. Within minutes, the place is empty. 

As the night closes in, a guard walks out to warn everyone to clear the area.  

This is Nidhivan, a 5 acre forest garden of Tulsi trees near Vrindavan - the fabled city where lord Krishna is said to have lived thousands of years back. Here the roots of every two plants are connected and is said to be a form of Krishna and Radha. What makes these trees stand out is they are all entangled with each other.

As the dance of the stars begin in the skies above, they say these trees come to life every night in the forest.  Here Lord Krishna is said to have Raas Leela with the Gopis till early in the morning. Legend has it no one is allowed to watch the celestial dance and those break this rule don't live to tell the tale. As a safety measure, the houses overlooking the woods shut their doors and windows in the night.  People have said to have heard the melody of Krishna’s flute diffusing the night in Nidhivan.

In the day time, the place comes alive with tourists. The guide points out the interconnected Tulsi plants. The roots seem brittle but the leaves above are lush green.

In middle of Nidhivan, there is a temple called Rang Mahal. Here, every night, a room is prepared for Radha and Krishna to rest after their Raas Leela. The same ritual is followed every night. A bed is made, food and water is put on the table and a traditional 2 tooth brushes are kept. Then the room is locked. The temple is then vacated and at the next dawn when the doors of the room are unlocked, the bed is found slept in, the food eaten and toothbrushes used.

This is singularly a mystery which goes beyond the realm of myth. TV crews have come here trying to decode the mystique without any success. They have kept vigil around the night, hunted for secret passages, checked whether locks tampered with - All in hope of finding a more rational explanation. Nothing has been found to explain the phenomenon. This is the closest you get to having proof that god exists in our midst.

My thoughts go back to the story of Radha and Krishna. Like all great love stories, they were not destined to be together.  After Krishna left Gokul, he had duties to fulfill and never ever looked back. Though he went on to marry (a few thousand wives no less), it is said he never forgot Radha. There is no explanation. Shorn of spiritual connotations, maybe the lesson here is that love isn’t about being married or being with someone. Love is being connected from the soul. Who knows ?

 

Whatever, the story of Nidhivan brings a smile to my face. I close my eyes and see Krishna - his flute, a peacock feather adorning the head and a serene and compassionate smile. I can almost hear the faint sound of flute playing accompanied by the soft sound of anklets. My heart fills with wonder and faith and a song from Lagaan comes to my lips.

"Madhuban mein Jo kanhaiya kisee gopi se mile,

Kabhee muskaye, kabhee chhede, kabhee baat kare,

Radha kaise naa jale, radha kaise naa jale, Aag tan mann me lage, Radha kaise naa jale, radha kaise naa jale....