(The following article is in response to this post written by our author Sushant Singh Bhatia.)

Feminism v/s Menism v/s Perspective 

Dear believer of humanism,

I was really glad to read your blog, really, really glad.

All the extremely niche experiences that you have picked out, would be belittled (the least to say) if pitched with what the women of this country have gone through, AND SURVIVED.

Feminism is at a nascent stage, hardly an embryo, fighting to find its existence and we are already making way for ‘Menism.’ It is surprising to see how easy it was to get on your nerves though.
Now I believe you can imagine the centuries of atrocities that my gender has tolerated, succumbed to, pushed against, won some and lost many.

We have had way too many bad experiences being pulled, pushed, touched inappropriately, leered at, told that we are not good enough, heard abuses related to the very body parts we are made of, discriminated against, forced into submission, objectified and sacrificed. So forgive us for being wary or trying to make up for the ages of freedom that we never had by getting a local train ticket with a smile.

We would have never needed those special Women’s compartments if we were never ill treated in the General compartment. That is right. Not the Men’s. GENERAL! Also, take a moment and think why after 10 pm every ladies compartment still needs two male officers. Is it for protection?
If yes, then against whom? And FYI, I have given my seat one too many times to senior citizens. May be you should stop giving way to ‘Hot Chicks.’ Another good observation on your part, by the way..

It’s almost offensive, the way you write ‘Abla Nari’ and ‘Ablapan’ in order to generalize my entire gender with just one instance of what you saw. How about I do the same? Generalize your entire gender. Call all men ‘rapists, molesters, abusive or inhuman.’
But I won’t do that. For a very simple reason. By the time I was 14 realized something that middle aged men and women of this county haven’t managed to figure out yet. CO-EXISTENCE! We, men and women, were meant to co-exist. And not one above the other, but shoulder to shoulder.
Also, I owe a lot to many nurturing, kind men and women in my life.

And finally, to discuss equality. I AM ALL FOR EQUALITY. However, biologically men and women were created UNEQUAL. (in reference to the video complimenting your article) A woman slapping a man and a man slapping a woman differs wildly, simply because of biological reasons.
But we do need a middle ground. So the punishment of crime for both the genders need to same. I am totally on this page with you. But physical violence, if not used for self defense or mutually consented rough sex, should not be used at all. PERIOD. 

Me: "Whale you be my Valentine?" She: "Dolphinitely.”

So here’s an insider’s tour (Navigating Officer – Sushant Singh Bhatia a.k.a The Hippie Shippy), to take you through the labyrinth (his Ship – his Valentine) while on a voyage from Japan to Indonesia.

Welcome aboard!

10 REASONS WHY BEING AT SEA, IS INDEED HAVING A ‘WHALE’ OF A TIME !

1. WE GET PAID TO SEE THE WORLD !

Yes indeed! What’s on a Landlubber’s ‘Bucketlist’ is on our ‘Done and Dusted and Dumped’ List.
PS : Mars and Moon are probably the only two places on our Bucketlist :P

(landlubber - a person who is permanently ashore / at land)

Sushant @PGE Arena , Gdansk, Poland (Euro Final Soccer Stadium)

2. GEOGRAPHY ON OUR FINGER TIPS !

Be it a passage through the Adriatic Sea or Torres Straits. Or for that matter, even the complicated Magellan Straits, globetrotters we indeed are!
Shippy wives too, become well-versed, and the flipping of time zones and datelines soon becomes a part and parcel of their lives.
So the next time your son misses a Geography lesson at school, you know whom to approach.

3. WE HAVE ALL TIME TO STAND AND STARE !

Yes, navigators do get paid for looking out of the window. We're the privileged ones to get the world’s most unadulterated wind and the most scintillating sunsets.
*Shaamein malang si, Raatein surang si , Khaanabadoshiyon pe, hi jaane kyun, Ilaahi mera jee aaye aaye…..* plays in the head!

Sheer Bliss !

4. THESE POPEYES NEED NO SPINACH !

Needless to say, this ain’t a place for sissies. With gales storms and typhoons coupled with rolling /pitching of the ship, being an everyday phenomenon, it’s only a place for the tough lads. After All, it’s not for nothing that they associate the phrase ‘being at sea’ when you are ill at ease, isn’t it?

This man needs no introduction!

5. A HOME AWAY FROM HOME !

Be it your first Birthday away from home, or your Girlfriend’s for that matter, a supportive crew, will always find means to cheer you up. After all, a family that works together, stays together.

The feeling of ‘Oneness’ fostered on board is indeed unparalleled!

The Captain and his 'Arsenal'

6. A GRAND FAMILY FAIR !

Unlike popular belief, that life at sea is dull and drab, most companies now permit Officers to carry their families on board. So come Summer Vacations and the ship gets ready for the pandemonium to arrive on board. Barbeque parties and Karaoke Nights become an every day affair.
Now, how many kids can boast of having spent their vacations on a ship!

And after all, when you have your family on board, who needs a reason to party? 

Delicacies for an ‘On Board Party’

7. CONNOISSEURS OF CUISINES, WE ALL ARE!

Being Nomads, we undoubtedly have opportunity of tasting the best of world’s cuisines. So be it a Kaiten Sushi with Wasabi or a Polish Sernik, we surely ‘have’ the best of both words.

Not forgetting the wonderful Galley Staff (Chief Cook and a Steward) that never fails to amaze us, with their ‘ Finger Licking good’ delicacies. interesting fact is that since Biryani is a fixed meal on a ship, for a Sunday Lunch, mariners count their weeks remaining to be home, in terms of Biryanis.

Now, the next time you hear, “I have four more Biryanis to go!”, from a mariner, you know just exactly what they're talking about.

'Kaiten Sushi' - Sushi on the conveyor belt !

8. MEN IN UNIFORM – NEED I SAY MORE!

It is an undeniable fact that girls swoon over men in uniform. The pride and responsibility associated with the same, is what adds to the ‘charisma’ of this profession.

Men on a mission !

9. RICHIE RICH AND NO DENYING THAT!

With handsome salaries, comparable to the best in the world, they are every landlubber’s envy. And

being tax free too (Yes…rub your eyes!) , adds ‘Mirchi to their Misery’!

Needs no caption...

10. BE IT EVER SO HUMBLE, THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME !

A Family Reunion after a stint at sea, is probably the best day in a mariner’s life.

Afterall, seeing the ‘The Paltan’ (the long queue) waiting to catch a glimpse of you at the

airport, makes all the sacrifices we make worthwhile, at the end of the day.

“If you are brave enough to say a ‘Goodbye’,
Life will surely reward you with a new Hello!”
- Paulo Coehlo

Ahoy! The Sea beckons me.

- Sushant Singh Bhatia / ‘The Hippie Shippy’

Shipping with Pride.