Chronicles of a Modern Mariner

(Source: Vijay Times, BVT Pg 4.)
Copyright © 2005 Puja Goyal

Many have dreamt that one day they would sail into the oceans and meet monsters, and ghouls and bear witness to the paranormal. Children have grown up reading books like Treasure Island, and Voyage of the Frog for years; with the advent of movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, there is a new outlet for the fascination that the oceans creates in our imagination.

Do ships really sink? What if something goes wrong, where does one run for cover? What do you do when you get bored; take a swim in the sea?

Meet George Phillipos, who has spent ten years as a marine engineer, has many stories to tell his readers about life at sea.

THE MEN INSIDE: CHRONICLES OF A MODERN MARINER written by Phillipos transports you to the world of the paranormal and the unreal. He has used ordinary stories of life at the sea, and created an extraordinary world of events.

Excerpts from the interview...

You stay in Australia right now, how did you decide to publish your book in India?

Well, I had an offer in Australia. Over there, it is a tedious process to get your book published and it takes about six months to see your book in print. At the same time I got an offer from Rupa & Co, who were interested and I jumped to it.

What inspired you and how did you conceive the book?

I'm a big fan of Joseph Conrad's GREAT SEA STORIES, and have grown up reading his books, which have inspired me to write my story.

I have seen a lot of people write books about the sea, they talk about the wind and the ship, the storms and the sea gulls, but no one talks about the engineers on board who run the ship. This book is about them. I have put together real stories I have heard from my friends, and mixed them with a little bit of fiction to bring to the reader what it is like to be at sea.

Is the life of a marine this interesting??

Yes it is, I admit it gets a little lonely when you are away from the family but you get used to it. I would recommend it for anyone who dreams of adventure… but he needs to be single and young, or… you know what a married marine has to face …(laughs)

In the story, THE CHIEF ENGINEER'S TALE, you have spoken about the paranormal. Do you really experience paranormal activities in the marines?

There are some stories about ghosts that I have heard, which are unexplainable, and I should say I believe in them. People have actually seen the ghost of the Chief Engineer's wife on the ship and this is why I thought I should mention it in the book.

In the story JUST TEN FEET MORE, you have mentioned the unfortunate tragedy of Masud…? Don't you get trained?

Yeah, sometimes there are problems and people don’t like each other. You are unfortunate enough to get posted under a tough chief… and people pay with their lives for it.

We get a good amount of training and knowledge of the ship and what it requires to be a marine engineer, but each ship is different. As you grow in the marines you have a fairly good idea.

Poor Masud was a fresher and new… and was unfortunate to pay with his life.

This is one of the few books written by an Indian on Sea life… what has it to offer to the readers?

THE MEN INSIDE: CHRONICLES OF A MODERN MARINER is a genuine book. It is for everyone who dreamt of being on a ship sometime in his or her life. The life in marines is a good one and everyone should experience it.