My
father George John joined Merchant Navy at a very
young age. He is the eldest son of Mrs. Chinnamma
John &
Eappan John. The sea & its mysteries always
fascinated his brilliant mind. This ultimately led
him to choose Marine Engineering as his career. He
had the willpower to turn his desire into reality
with cool, careful & fixed intent. He served
Indian Merchant Navy for more than 30 years.
As children, myself & my elder sister got very little
time to be with him. He will be on leave for 4 or
5 months-maybe after 2 years work on a particular
ship. Even though he spent little time at
home he exercised calm reserve & control there.
His reactions were always kept at a bare minimum.
He won't stand for any nonsense. In other words, i
can definitely categorize him as a stern father.
During our childhood days, we sometimes resented
his unbending autocratic manners, the high-handed
authority & tight discipline he imposed upon us.
But now both of us realize how lucky we were to
have his firm guidance. It may take a while to
adjust to his personality, but it will eventually
toughen you up.
We have wondered whether he had gone seasick &
homesick during the long months & years he spend
at sea. But the fact that he was always at his
forceful courageous best can be clearly understood
from his calm & steady expression.
In a word this man is invincible. None of his
important decisions were hampered by the opinion
of others. He is really a mighty attractive free
spirit with beautiful self containment & sureness
of purpose who don't always fuss about what people
think.
