A sailor’s wife lives a life of adventure without even sailing across the seas. This consideration is due to the knot tied along for the rest of the life between a seafarer and his wife. The wallet of a sailor is not the ultimatum for the wife who has been tasting the struggle behind bars, sitting patiently counting every day and hour for the safe reporting back of her beloved from the voyage.
A sailor’s wife is considered to be a ‘Queen’ just because of this extraordinary marital knot along with which comes responsibilities without burdens, isolation without quarrels, distance without contacts, pain without dying from within, sacrifices without losing one’s mind and most importantly the unconditional love from the partner at the end of the day.
A sailor’s “Queen” is that remarkable woman who decides in her heart and mind to marry a sailor and stand behind his worst days and stand beside him through the thick and thin.
Here, the “Queen” becomes the symbol of strength, love, patience, responsibility, beauty, happiness, and honesty.
Therefore it is true that behind every king’s acquired status or role, there is an untold saga of hurdles, pain, strivings, dedication as well as no guarantee of one’s life. After that the wife of a sailor gets the crown of a Queen.
Similarly, the book “Sea Through My Eyes” by Dr.Sonal Bhatia is an autobiography of the independent woman facing thorns along with the rose in the marital knot she was tied in. It’s not a struggle of any husband and wife bearing the distance and pain but an untold story behind the sailor’s achievement, putting his wife juggling with dual responsibilities of the family and maintaining the title of the Sailor’s Queen.
Being the Principal of a prominent school in Mumbai, the author has gotten a significant responsibility on her shoulders since she was ’23’ y/o. She had dreamt about a fairytale regarding the concept of marriages. Sometimes fairy tales are also real, as put forward by the author after the marriage scenarios. Holding the title of her husband, she also held pride as her attire, contributing the same level of love and trust to her husband and being patient every time she bid safe voyage and waited for his safe homecoming.
The author is presented to be a responsible lady managing both the house and finance. Just like her mother who played a vital role in framing the matured lady’s patience and management as put forward by the author about her mother’s vivid description in the very first chapter of her book mentioning that her mother even being distanced from her father who worked abroad, had managed to cope up with every inch of responsibilities from job to kids to family.
The story beginning from the author’s frustration towards not getting an eligible bachelor to marrying the one as per her dreams, not only highlighted the princess diary but also the real struggle of a seafarer’s wife and she showed gratitude to the one’s facing hardships, sacrificing and dedicated to their work without getting any appreciation. These men are the ones who work behind the mighty sea, keeping the trade going in the world. These men are not the front liners but are the unsung heroes just like her husband. This story reveals the life of the merchant navy.
This book is a ‘must read’ since Romeo-Juliet and a sailor’s wife have a story to narrate. The story consists of love, loyalty, and trust and the perception changing factor towards those sailors who have a lot to fight against, putting their lives at stake. This story is a real one since the author has herself faced the hardships and seen the depth of dedication in her husband’s eyes while they both were sailing once.
The story of the life of the merchant navy and the sailor’s Queen would help change the perspective and refute the myths about sailors.
Book Blurb: Sea Through My Eyes: An Untold Saga of a Seafarer
I married a sailor to put an end to my spinsterhood, but it was not an ordinary marital knot. On marrying him came along isolation, distance, pain, sacrifices and unconditional love.
I bid him a safe voyage every time and waited days and months for his safe homecomings. Juggling with dual responsibilities of the family, maintaining the symbolic status of being a sailor’s wife, I take pride in the applets on his shoulder.
I take pride to be his queen, and like me, there are millions of queens around the globe who wear a silent crown of compassion, courage and optimism.
This memoir is my journey to the unknown world of unsung heroes working at sea, experiencing the terror which I came across while sailing: from a harrowing passage of Somalia to accidents that happened on board when the ship sailed in ferocious storms and deserted ports of call, the gruelling daily routine and dedication for work at the mercy of nature which changed my perspective and refute the myths about sailors. It is my journey to the floating world. A world that runs the major trades with no expectations or recognition. These sailors work in silence and retire in silence. Yes, it is the life of The Merchant Navy.
The Author: Sonal Bhatia
Principal of prominent school in Mumbai. Taking up huge responsibility at tender age, She got married to a sailor with which came along isolation, sacrifices and compromise. She faces real problems like loneliness, raising kids alone and managing everything right from managing house to managing finance. Being a working woman, its the dual responsibility. She also wants the world to know about the unsung heroes who work at sea. Their hardships, their sacrifices and passion for work but never get any appreciation. We only appreciate the front liners but forget about those ripping apart the mighty sea and keep world the trade going. They live in silence and retire in silence.
