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Speaker 1: Approche Production.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to Secrets of the Oderworld. I am Neil the

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Speaker 2: Muscle Coumments, and in this episode I speak with pralav Dianni,

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Speaker 2: who was hijacked and held hostage by Somali pirates for

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Speaker 2: over three hundred days.

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Speaker 1: I heard gunshots and suddenly I hear the emergency alarm

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Speaker 1: going up, and I turn around and see one of

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Speaker 1: my colleague and he just dreams piracy attack. You are

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Speaker 1: being asked to sit down on your knees with your

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Speaker 1: hands on your head. The thing in my head was

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Speaker 1: that please let it get over. Like a bad dream.

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Speaker 1: I had a gun pointed at my head. When that

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Speaker 1: cold barrel touches your head, the only thought in your

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Speaker 1: head is God, this guy should not press that trigger,

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Speaker 1: even by mistake.

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Speaker 2: Well, IV, thank you very much for coming on my

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Speaker 2: podcast to share your story. I really appreciate your time

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Speaker 2: and I cannot wait for you to share your story

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Speaker 2: and experience with what happened in your situation. So what

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Speaker 2: we'll do is before we get into everything, we'll talk

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Speaker 2: about you in general, before everything happened with your family,

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Speaker 2: growing up, where you're from, and how you got into

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Speaker 2: the business of working on a vessel.

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Speaker 1: So I come from a place in India called Jaipur, Rajasthan.

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Speaker 1: That is where I was born, though my roots are

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Speaker 1: from the north up Hills in a place called Utra

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Speaker 1: Khana in India, but born and brought up family settled there.

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Speaker 1: I've been in the Middle East. I have spent some

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Speaker 1: of my schooling years, some of my early college years

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Speaker 1: here in the Middle East. And before I started my

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Speaker 1: sea career, I was in the UE. My parents were

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Speaker 1: here for some time and I had spent some time here,

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Speaker 1: so I ended up at sea. It was not planned.

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Speaker 1: It happened as there was no other option on the

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Speaker 1: table at that particular time, thanks to my lifestyle. Because

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Speaker 1: my parents were being overkind and agreeing to everything that

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Speaker 1: I said and gave me everything I wanted. So that

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Speaker 1: spoiled me a bit. And when I finally realized this

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Speaker 1: is not going to get me anywhere, I came back home.

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Speaker 1: I came back to my parents and I told them

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Speaker 1: that I need to do something that will really discipline

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Speaker 1: me and get my life on track. So my father

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Speaker 1: being from an education industry, he has been a professor,

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Speaker 1: he has had his doctorate. Everybody around me is from

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Speaker 1: the same background, most of the people in my family

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Speaker 1: extended family, so there was a lot of guidance coming

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Speaker 1: from everywhere, you know. But then I had finally told

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Speaker 1: my parents that I'm going to listen to whatever you

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Speaker 1: say for the next few years of my life because

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Speaker 1: whatever I have decided and done it has not worked

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Speaker 1: out so far. So yeah, I mean that's how this

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Speaker 1: journey started, and I loved it. Very practical life. You

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Speaker 1: are out at sea most of the times, you're studying there,

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Speaker 1: you're learning there. It's more of a practical experience, which

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Speaker 1: I really enjoyed. And I was just I had started

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Speaker 1: my training as a training officer deck officer. We were

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Speaker 1: about four months already in our sea time, and the

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Speaker 1: incident happened something that had not even expected or thought

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Speaker 1: about it in my far beyond thoughts. But yeah, I mean,

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Speaker 1: life sometimes gives you such shocks to actually wake you up.

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Speaker 1: I mean, there was a lot of change in me already,

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Speaker 1: but I think this was one one incident that has

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Speaker 1: really turned around on the way I think now or

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Speaker 1: even when I got back and how I took on

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Speaker 1: life and responsibilities post that, there was a big change.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, before we get into what happened on that day.

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Speaker 2: What was your actual role to do. Were you just

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Speaker 2: downstairs in the decks, were you upstairs on the where

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Speaker 2: the boat is controlled. Just tolt me through what your

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Speaker 2: role was on that vessel.

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Speaker 1: So on every ship they are different ranks that people

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Speaker 1: are defined and they come on board on different roles

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Speaker 1: in different ranks. There are three sites. One is a

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Speaker 1: navigation site where the officers are responsible for cargo operations,

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Speaker 1: safety and the passage that is navigating the ship. And

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Speaker 1: then there is the engine side where the officers are

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Speaker 1: responsible for the machinery and running of the machinery and

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Speaker 1: running of the main engine, and the generators and the

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Speaker 1: pumps and all those things, both of them and hand

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Speaker 1: in hand work together for the running of the ship.

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Speaker 1: Then there is a third category or third rank, which

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Speaker 1: is called the crew, who look after the food, the supplies,

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Speaker 1: the deck jobs, the engine room jobs, most of the

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Speaker 1: practical work maintainance, painting, x, Y Z. All these things

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Speaker 1: that are done using your bare hands. It's the crew

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Speaker 1: who is taking care of that. So these three categories

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Speaker 1: combined together, and the captain is the head of all

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Speaker 1: of them, who is mainly looking after the who comes

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Speaker 1: from the navigating part, the navigation part. So for us

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Speaker 1: to become in the navigation side as officers, you start

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Speaker 1: off as a trainee the junior most level. And when

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Speaker 1: you are a trainee, you are receiving orders instructions from

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Speaker 1: everybody on the ship because that's how you learn, right,

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Speaker 1: even the crew teaches you us is them. You learn

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Speaker 1: how to how to paint, You learn how to fix valves,

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Speaker 1: you learn how to grease ropes. I mean, these are

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Speaker 1: all things that you have to do on a ship

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Speaker 1: from from the junior most strength to the navigation part

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Speaker 1: where you watch the cargo operations, You plan the cargo operations,

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Speaker 1: you plan the passage from one country to the other,

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Speaker 1: you take care of the life saving equipments and blah

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Speaker 1: blah blah. So for me, it was my first ship,

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Speaker 1: my first voyage where I had just joined as a

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Speaker 1: deck training just four months into my job. Book, you

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Speaker 1: know this happens?

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Speaker 2: Is there security on there? Like like is there for

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Speaker 2: something like this to happen? Do they have do?

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Speaker 1: Then?

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Speaker 2: Cainra vessels have their own security.

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Speaker 1: So merchant vessels which carry cargoes, we as merchant vessel

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Speaker 1: officers or crew are not trained to handle arms and ammunitions,

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Speaker 1: so we are not given or we don't carry any arms.

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Speaker 1: But post piracy peak in Africa, the organizations and the

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Speaker 1: authorities had started implementing armed security guards on board, where

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Speaker 1: some private maritime security companies with all the proper paperwork licensing,

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Speaker 1: will provide armed guards to the ships who are transiting

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Speaker 1: this area to protect them, who are threatened or who

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Speaker 1: are being approached by the pirates while they're crossing that area.

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Speaker 1: So in fact, my first job after coming back of

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Speaker 1: piracy and when I decided to give up sea was

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Speaker 1: with one of the maritime security companies, you know, I mean,

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Speaker 1: they could have chosen me as their marketing face, but

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Speaker 1: they saw my potential and operations and I was handling

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Speaker 1: their complete operations, movement of guards, boarding of guards, movement

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Speaker 1: of vessels, which vessel needs guards. When I've done that

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Speaker 1: initially when this requirement was at its peak. This requirement

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Speaker 1: is still there, but because of the presence of the guards,

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Speaker 1: the incidents have really really come down, and most of

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Speaker 1: the companies still out of safety measures carry guards. But

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Speaker 1: with the presence of the guards, you know, it has

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Speaker 1: come to almost as zero successful hijackings. There are still approaches,

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Speaker 1: there are still attacks, but conversion of those two hijackings,

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Speaker 1: like for our ship has become negligible in a very

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Speaker 1: long time.

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Speaker 2: What was your ship carrying for them to want to

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Speaker 2: get to want to get used hostages or was it

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Speaker 2: just because they just thought, you know, we'll just get

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Speaker 2: the major company and hold them ransom.

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Speaker 1: They're not chasing the cargo, okay, because they were not

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Speaker 1: in a position to take the cargo ashore, you know.

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Speaker 1: I mean on a merchant vessel, it's it's regardless what

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Speaker 1: you have loaded, it's very difficult if you don't have

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Speaker 1: the infrastructure or a port to discharge the cargo, you know.

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Speaker 1: So they had zero infrastructure to discharge the cargo. So

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Speaker 1: for them, cargo was no value. It was the type

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Speaker 1: of ship, the nationality of the crew that was the

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Speaker 1: most important part. Comparatively, a new ship with mixed crew

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Speaker 1: of different nationalities Europeans, these kind of things would attract

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Speaker 1: them more once they are on board. But if they

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Speaker 1: identify a ship out at sea, then regardless who is

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Speaker 1: on board, what the cargo is, I mean, they wouldn't

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Speaker 1: know until they go on board, until they climb, you know.

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Speaker 1: But if they identify find a ship within their approach.

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Speaker 1: They would do anything to go on board. You know,

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Speaker 1: they would try their best to climb it because that's

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Speaker 1: their only hope to get back home. Because sometimes they

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Speaker 1: come out so far at sea in their smaller boats

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Speaker 1: and they are not so equipped so much with the

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Speaker 1: navigation or how to maneuver their boats. So it becomes

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Speaker 1: for them it is like an ultimatum to catch hold

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Speaker 1: of something because that is their safest passage back home. Wow.

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Speaker 1: You know, so all these things come into the picture afterwards. Once,

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Speaker 1: once they have taken the ship to near the coast,

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Speaker 1: their big bosses come on board. Then they cross check

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Speaker 1: what's the nationalities, what's the cargo, how old is the ship,

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Speaker 1: what cargo from? Where to where are they carrying the cargo?

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Speaker 1: These things come in later on. Initially they're on the

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Speaker 1: smaller boat, they're out at sea trying to target different ships.

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Speaker 1: They see something, they say, yes, this is closed, we

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Speaker 1: can attack it and go on board and take control.

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Speaker 1: So they would give their lives to do that. Wow. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it used to be like that back then.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so before this happened to your vessel, when was

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Speaker 2: the last time this happened prior?

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Speaker 1: So piracy in the Horn of Africa as they call

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Speaker 1: it the Somalian region. Piracy has been active for quite

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Speaker 1: some time and during our theory courses we had done

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Speaker 1: studies about it and there were topics of discussions about it,

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Speaker 1: and even on board when we were sailing, we used

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Speaker 1: to have anti piracy drills that in case at the

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Speaker 1: time of a piracy attack, what you have to do,

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Speaker 1: how you have to do so people are aware that

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Speaker 1: this goes on and sea piracy is there in different

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Speaker 1: parts of the world. You know, piracy at sea can

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Speaker 1: also be defined as if you are waiting at anchor.

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Speaker 1: For example, just to make you understand out at coast

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Speaker 1: in Australia, if a vessel is waiting at anchored before

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Speaker 1: coming to port, somebody comes in a small boat, climbs

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Speaker 1: the ship at night, steals some equipment from the ship

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Speaker 1: and goes back. Even that is defined as piracy. But

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Speaker 1: in Somalia it had gone to a different level where

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Speaker 1: lives were taken hostage against a ransom. That was something

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Speaker 1: very new that was happening. That the whole ship is

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Speaker 1: being hijacked, the pirates are asking for ransom against the

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Speaker 1: lives of the crew. That was something very new, but

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Speaker 1: Somalia was active in that for a few years before

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Speaker 1: twenty eleven as well. You know, there were incidents being

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Speaker 1: popping here in there, but at that time they were

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Speaker 1: not so well structured or not so well organized, so

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Speaker 1: the ransom amounts were lesser. They were not able to

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Speaker 1: reach so far out from their land, so they were

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Speaker 1: not able to catch such big ships. It was smaller boats,

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Speaker 1: it was fishing boats. It all started from there and

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Speaker 1: then slowly, slowly as they realized that, you know, this

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Speaker 1: can become into something more organized if structured properly, and

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Speaker 1: people can go further out at sea to catch bigger ships.

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Speaker 1: And that's how it went on. And I think from

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Speaker 1: twenty ten to twenty fourteen fifteen was the peak of

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Speaker 1: piracy and hijackings and all that, and that's where the

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Speaker 1: ransoms was also into millions of dollars per vessel. Back

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Speaker 1: in the day, every second ship was reporting a hijack attempt.

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Speaker 1: Every other day there was news that this vessel has

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Speaker 1: been hijacked, that vessel has been hijacked. But once the

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Speaker 1: arm guards came into the picture as a mandatory requirement,

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Speaker 1: where the owners realized that spending this kind of money

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Speaker 1: on taking security is better than loss of an asset

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Speaker 1: sitting there for three months, four months plus negotiating and

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Speaker 1: paying millions of dollars. It's better you take cards for

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Speaker 1: one transit from this area and then from there. It

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Speaker 1: was as the stock market just drops. It was a

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Speaker 1: complete drop in successful hijacking of incidents. The attempts were

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Speaker 1: still being made, and I think the attempts still are

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Speaker 1: being made. Sometimes we can hear about it in our

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Speaker 1: network in some of the articles that we read.

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Speaker 2: Wow, okay, so this happened on the eleventh of April

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Speaker 2: twenty ten. Is that correct? Yeah, yes, yes, So talk

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Speaker 2: me through your day of starting your shift. When did

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Speaker 2: this happen? Was it at nighttime or was it you

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Speaker 2: on the day they attack?

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Speaker 1: It was? It was morning. It was a Sunday morning.

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Speaker 1: Usually Sundays are off. You know, by off, I mean

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Speaker 1: it was it can be a relaxed day, like you

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Speaker 1: don't have to go do any deck work, you don't

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Speaker 1: have to go do any maintenance. You know, you have

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Speaker 1: your time. You made your watchkeeping for us for us

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Speaker 1: on and then eight us off, and then for us

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Speaker 1: on again. We had just left from one port in

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Speaker 1: Seashells after discharging some cargo, and we were going to

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Speaker 1: another country very nearby in Tanzania Zanzibar. It was a

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Speaker 1: very short passage. I can't recall how many days, but

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Speaker 1: it was a very short passage. And when you leave

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Speaker 1: a country or when you're approaching a country, you always

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Speaker 1: prepare for the next cargo operations. You make sure your

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Speaker 1: cargo on deck is properly lashed. There is not so

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Speaker 1: much of movement because anything breaks, the cargo shifts, it

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Speaker 1: causes damage, loss of cargo, damage to the ship, blah

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Speaker 1: blah blah x yc. Things. You know, because once you

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Speaker 1: have left the port, you're out at sea. You have

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Speaker 1: to take care of all the problems that you face.

250
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Speaker 1: You know, beat a fire, beat water flooding in, beat

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Speaker 1: an electric failure, whatever. You have to take care of

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Speaker 1: your our own life and the people with you. You know,

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Speaker 1: these are things that are put in practice for every

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Speaker 1: time you leave a port. Before you call a port,

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Speaker 1: you make sure you check all these arrangements. So unfortunately

256
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Speaker 1: we were told to check all that. It was not

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Speaker 1: called for a full day work, but just to go

258
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Speaker 1: check these things, make sure everything is fine, finish off

259
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Speaker 1: post breakfast and do that until tea time, until lunch.

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Speaker 1: Just a little bit more than tea time and you're

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Speaker 1: done for the day. That was the plan. And I

262
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Speaker 1: was at the forward part you call it the foxhil

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Speaker 1: the forward part of the ship for non mariners. As

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Speaker 1: I say, if you have seen Titanic where Jack and

265
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Speaker 1: his girlfriend were standing with their arms wide open and

266
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Speaker 1: watching dolphins. So I was in that area without a

267
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Speaker 1: Kate winslet. But yeah, so I was there and I

268
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Speaker 1: heard gunshots. But at that time I was I was

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Speaker 1: confused what noise was at you know, never heard it

270
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Speaker 1: in my life. So I thought my one of my

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Speaker 1: crew members, my welder. I thought maybe he's doing something

272
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Speaker 1: so his welding torch sometimes it used to make that noise,

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Speaker 1: like how a car backfires or a bike backfires, right,

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Speaker 1: And I thought it was that, And it happened repeatedly

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Speaker 1: a couple of times. For a moment, I ignored it,

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Speaker 1: and suddenly I hear the emergency alarm going up and

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Speaker 1: I turn around and see one of my colleague He's

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Speaker 1: running towards the accommodation with his head down, and in panic,

279
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Speaker 1: I asked him what's wrong? Everything is okay, and he

280
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Speaker 1: just doesn't even stop or turn back, and he just

281
00:16:52,441 --> 00:16:57,161
Speaker 1: screams piracy attack, you know, and I run towards the

282
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Speaker 1: towards the ship, towards the bridge, and by the time

283
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Speaker 1: everybody is able to go to the safe room, these

284
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Speaker 1: guys are already on board, you know. And the most

285
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Speaker 1: unfortunate part with us was that our ship had broken down.

286
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Speaker 1: Our main engine was not working, and the engineers were

287
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Speaker 1: actually trying to repair it, and they had asked for

288
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Speaker 1: a six to eight hours of a stop. That was

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Speaker 1: the most unfortunate part, and that was the biggest reason

290
00:17:25,201 --> 00:17:28,880
Speaker 1: that they were able to come on board so easily. Otherwise,

291
00:17:29,521 --> 00:17:33,321
Speaker 1: our air draft is from the water line up to

292
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Speaker 1: the line of your deck was quite high. It was

293
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Speaker 1: not very easy, you know. For if you're on the

294
00:17:38,801 --> 00:17:42,240
Speaker 1: water line it is still about five six meters for

295
00:17:42,321 --> 00:17:45,160
Speaker 1: you to put a rope and come up. And in

296
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Speaker 1: a moving ship, it is not easy, trust me. I mean,

297
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Speaker 1: if we were doing some speed at least, you know,

298
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Speaker 1: if we were moving, we would have bought some time

299
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Speaker 1: and you know, we would have been able to maybe

300
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Speaker 1: call for help.

301
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Speaker 2: But just stopping you there minute, do you now looking

302
00:18:02,360 --> 00:18:04,801
Speaker 2: back at that like this is just because I'm listening

303
00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:08,481
Speaker 2: to what you're saying. Does that sound suspicious to you,

304
00:18:09,481 --> 00:18:11,921
Speaker 2: like that, that that at that time that your main

305
00:18:11,961 --> 00:18:13,001
Speaker 2: engine is not working.

306
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Speaker 1: No, no, it wasn't. It was an old ship. It

307
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Speaker 1: wasn't an old ship.

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Speaker 2: I'm just I'm just asking because I'm just I'm just saying,

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Speaker 2: if someone's on helping them.

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Speaker 1: Out, no no, no, no no no. If it was

311
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Speaker 1: like that, by any way, that person, trust me, that

312
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Speaker 1: person would have would have regretted his whole life spending

313
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Speaker 1: eleven months there. You know, it's like that. But it was.

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Speaker 1: It was an old ship, you know, I mean, and

315
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Speaker 1: and with machinery with such, with such kind of heavy machinery,

316
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Speaker 1: heavy engines and all, you do anticipate problems, you do

317
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Speaker 1: anticipate breakdowns. So yeah, I mean it was. It was unlucky,

318
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Speaker 1: unfortunate of us.

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Speaker 2: So how many people came on both from the pirates.

320
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Speaker 1: We could never have an initial count, but we knew

321
00:19:00,321 --> 00:19:02,680
Speaker 1: that they were. They were about two to three boats

322
00:19:02,721 --> 00:19:05,640
Speaker 1: that had approached us, and they never put us in

323
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Speaker 1: a position for us to be able to count how

324
00:19:07,801 --> 00:19:12,200
Speaker 1: many were on board so that we could not overpower them,

325
00:19:12,281 --> 00:19:16,760
Speaker 1: you know, but I feel they were about at least

326
00:19:17,281 --> 00:19:20,801
Speaker 1: somewhere between eight to twelve guys. Initially from the time

327
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Speaker 1: they hijacked us from that position until we went to

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Speaker 1: the coast of Somalia.

329
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Speaker 2: So how many people were on your vessel? How many

330
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Speaker 2: people were working on top?

331
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Speaker 1: We were twenty five? Crew was twenty five.

332
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Speaker 2: Okay, well okay, So how long would it take them

333
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Speaker 2: to get on your boat from their boat? Like you're saying,

334
00:19:39,481 --> 00:19:41,440
Speaker 2: it was pretty difficult, So how long will it take

335
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Speaker 2: them to get onto.

336
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Speaker 1: No, if as I said, if we were moving, we

337
00:19:45,961 --> 00:19:49,680
Speaker 1: would have at least been able to resist for maybe

338
00:19:50,241 --> 00:19:53,600
Speaker 1: fifteen twenty minutes, half an hour, and that much time

339
00:19:53,721 --> 00:19:57,721
Speaker 1: was enough to get help. Okay, that time was enough

340
00:19:57,761 --> 00:20:02,520
Speaker 1: to raise the distress alarm call because a lot of

341
00:20:02,721 --> 00:20:06,920
Speaker 1: naval vessels had started patrolling that already by that time.

342
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Speaker 1: But unfortunately, since we were drifting, no powers from the

343
00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:15,281
Speaker 1: engine and we were just drifting at sea. I think

344
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Speaker 1: by the time they came on board. So if I

345
00:20:18,241 --> 00:20:22,041
Speaker 1: recall from the time I heard the first shot until

346
00:20:22,321 --> 00:20:28,241
Speaker 1: the time they climbed the ship, five minutes wow, maximum

347
00:20:28,281 --> 00:20:28,801
Speaker 1: five minutes?

348
00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:32,960
Speaker 2: Not more so, now they're on board, are they taking

349
00:20:32,961 --> 00:20:36,520
Speaker 2: control of whether your captain is or how are they

350
00:20:36,561 --> 00:20:38,041
Speaker 2: going about taking over the ship? Now?

351
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Speaker 1: Yeah? So they came on board with guns. They pointed

352
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Speaker 1: the guns at the officer. They called the officer down.

353
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Speaker 1: They told him to please come and take us up

354
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Speaker 1: to the bridge. The guy takes him to the bridge.

355
00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:55,201
Speaker 1: They ask for the captain. The captain is there. They

356
00:20:55,241 --> 00:20:57,441
Speaker 1: look at the cruele list, which is there? How many

357
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Speaker 1: people they know where the cruelest is on every ship?

358
00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:04,201
Speaker 1: They say, call all the people here. Captain is under

359
00:21:04,201 --> 00:21:07,521
Speaker 1: a gun point. He makes the call. Everybody comes from

360
00:21:07,561 --> 00:21:11,001
Speaker 1: the safe room, comes to the bridge. The next instruction

361
00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:12,360
Speaker 1: is sailed to some earlier.

362
00:21:13,241 --> 00:21:17,161
Speaker 2: So, so what's going for your head now? Like are

363
00:21:17,201 --> 00:21:19,761
Speaker 2: you nervous or you just or you can or you

364
00:21:19,761 --> 00:21:21,241
Speaker 2: don't even know what's the fucking thing.

365
00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:27,321
Speaker 1: Shitting bricks because because you you you're just in a

366
00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:29,720
Speaker 1: state of shock for some time, you don't know what

367
00:21:29,761 --> 00:21:33,081
Speaker 1: the hell is happening. You know, you see people around

368
00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:39,121
Speaker 1: with half torn clothes, no shoes, carrying guns walking around you.

369
00:21:39,120 --> 00:21:42,080
Speaker 1: You are being asked to sit down on your knees

370
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Speaker 1: with your hands on your head, don't make any eye

371
00:21:44,921 --> 00:21:48,281
Speaker 1: contact with them. And the thing in my head was

372
00:21:48,321 --> 00:21:51,120
Speaker 1: that please let it get over, like a bad dream,

373
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Speaker 1: you know.

374
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Speaker 2: Were they violent?

375
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Speaker 1: They were loud, they were not physically violent, but yes,

376
00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:01,440
Speaker 1: they were pushing you around. They were poking you with

377
00:22:01,761 --> 00:22:04,400
Speaker 1: the guns that they were carrying. They were guiding you

378
00:22:04,441 --> 00:22:06,480
Speaker 1: to move around, pushing you with the guns that they

379
00:22:06,481 --> 00:22:09,321
Speaker 1: were carrying. So yeah, I mean, and I think that

380
00:22:09,481 --> 00:22:12,241
Speaker 1: was that was enough for a definition of violent at

381
00:22:12,241 --> 00:22:15,081
Speaker 1: that time for us. Yeah, but yeah, I mean, it's

382
00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:17,880
Speaker 1: not that they went around beating people right at it now.

383
00:22:18,201 --> 00:22:20,521
Speaker 1: It wasn't that like that. But yes, there were a

384
00:22:20,561 --> 00:22:23,840
Speaker 1: couple of incidents. One of my claque, he was kicked

385
00:22:23,921 --> 00:22:26,120
Speaker 1: on his shoulders, on his thighs. He was just sitting

386
00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:28,881
Speaker 1: next to me, and why because one of the guys

387
00:22:29,241 --> 00:22:32,001
Speaker 1: he had some problem, you know, with his eyes and

388
00:22:32,041 --> 00:22:34,840
Speaker 1: he was winking it again and again. He was just

389
00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:36,960
Speaker 1: staring at him that what's wrong with him? You know,

390
00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:40,481
Speaker 1: and the guys like, you know, what are you looking at?

391
00:22:40,521 --> 00:22:42,640
Speaker 1: And he just came and he kicked him and he

392
00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:46,041
Speaker 1: pushed him. No, as I said, no eye contact, Sit

393
00:22:46,120 --> 00:22:49,400
Speaker 1: on your knees, don't say a word, keep looking down.

394
00:22:49,961 --> 00:22:52,400
Speaker 1: You don't know how long. I mean at that point,

395
00:22:52,441 --> 00:22:54,801
Speaker 1: you just wanted to get done with this with a snap. Okay,

396
00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:57,240
Speaker 1: take whatever I have. Just just let me go. You know,

397
00:22:58,321 --> 00:23:00,281
Speaker 1: that's how you want to negotiate. It's not that I'm

398
00:23:00,321 --> 00:23:03,120
Speaker 1: carrying a lot of cash with me, but take whatever

399
00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:04,961
Speaker 1: I can give you. You know, what was it?

400
00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:07,440
Speaker 2: What was what was the main guy? The parates like?

401
00:23:07,761 --> 00:23:09,761
Speaker 2: Describe him in a way. Did he look like he

402
00:23:10,281 --> 00:23:13,160
Speaker 2: was in control? Did he look like he was the

403
00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:14,081
Speaker 2: brains of everything?

404
00:23:14,241 --> 00:23:17,761
Speaker 1: You know? What was he like? Appearance wise? All of

405
00:23:17,801 --> 00:23:21,440
Speaker 1: them looked very similar, you know, their physique, their height,

406
00:23:22,281 --> 00:23:24,440
Speaker 1: more or less, it was it was very similar to

407
00:23:24,481 --> 00:23:29,561
Speaker 1: each The one who could speak more English, Yes, out

408
00:23:29,561 --> 00:23:32,481
Speaker 1: of the lot, he was confident, he knew what he

409
00:23:32,521 --> 00:23:36,561
Speaker 1: was talking. He though he might not have the knowledge

410
00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:40,840
Speaker 1: of navigation or how to run a ship, but he

411
00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:43,880
Speaker 1: was firm in his head that now I'm on the

412
00:23:43,961 --> 00:23:47,761
Speaker 1: ship and this is my safe passage back home. So

413
00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:51,600
Speaker 1: whatever had to be done, the ship had to move

414
00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:56,721
Speaker 1: from this location to go onto the coast and Somalaea. Okay, though,

415
00:23:56,761 --> 00:23:59,401
Speaker 1: we were trying to explain to him that our engines

416
00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:04,161
Speaker 1: are bad, you know, drifting here sunbathing, you know we

417
00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:08,120
Speaker 1: are we aren't ship. That's why, in this most dangerous

418
00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:10,960
Speaker 1: area in the world, our engenerous bloody conked off and

419
00:24:11,001 --> 00:24:12,080
Speaker 1: we are trying to repair it.

420
00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:17,121
Speaker 2: Did any of you talk between yourselves and thinking can

421
00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:20,081
Speaker 2: we take them, can we take them over, or can

422
00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:22,440
Speaker 2: we try and get help? Were you talking between yourselves

423
00:24:22,481 --> 00:24:23,360
Speaker 2: to try and do this.

424
00:24:23,481 --> 00:24:26,041
Speaker 1: We'd already called for help, but as I said, you know,

425
00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:29,400
Speaker 1: the closest warship was a few miles away, so for

426
00:24:29,481 --> 00:24:33,561
Speaker 1: them to send any help would have been easier if

427
00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:35,920
Speaker 1: these guys were still trying to climb the ship and

428
00:24:35,961 --> 00:24:38,840
Speaker 1: if we were moving. But since it took them just

429
00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:41,120
Speaker 1: five minutes to come on board, even if any help

430
00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:45,281
Speaker 1: would come, it would be making our innocent lives at risk.

431
00:24:46,481 --> 00:24:49,401
Speaker 1: You know, in a combat, they could just end up

432
00:24:49,561 --> 00:24:53,600
Speaker 1: firing their weapon at anybody. So once they're on board

433
00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:56,441
Speaker 1: and they have the crew with them under the gunpoint,

434
00:24:56,561 --> 00:24:58,400
Speaker 1: then there is no sign of any kind of a

435
00:24:58,441 --> 00:25:01,840
Speaker 1: rescue or a combat. It gets very difficult. Now things

436
00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:02,360
Speaker 1: are different.

437
00:25:02,921 --> 00:25:07,561
Speaker 2: Three hundred and thirty two days at hostage is insane?

438
00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:08,880
Speaker 1: Like it?

439
00:25:08,921 --> 00:25:12,321
Speaker 2: To me, that sounded like the negotiations will get nowhere,

440
00:25:12,681 --> 00:25:16,200
Speaker 2: or they won't get what they wanted. So what was it?

441
00:25:16,241 --> 00:25:19,281
Speaker 2: Panic stations? Like what was the feeling after fifty days?

442
00:25:19,481 --> 00:25:20,840
Speaker 2: You know what I mean? Like it? And then you

443
00:25:20,921 --> 00:25:23,120
Speaker 2: know that's just insane to say you were there for

444
00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:24,921
Speaker 2: three hundred and thirty two days.

445
00:25:25,441 --> 00:25:28,400
Speaker 1: So from what we have been talking amongst our crew

446
00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:33,080
Speaker 1: and the previous examples of ships being hijacked, it was

447
00:25:33,721 --> 00:25:38,480
Speaker 1: more or less predicted that sixty to ninety days is

448
00:25:38,561 --> 00:25:42,521
Speaker 1: an average type for the negotiations to happen. The money

449
00:25:42,561 --> 00:25:45,041
Speaker 1: has been agreed, the ransom is paid, and you're free

450
00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:49,801
Speaker 1: to go. The unfortunate part with us was that when

451
00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:54,921
Speaker 1: we were hijacked, there was one more ship already when

452
00:25:54,961 --> 00:25:57,441
Speaker 1: we had reached the position near the coast of Somalia,

453
00:25:57,721 --> 00:26:01,161
Speaker 1: and there was one small fishing vessel as well there.

454
00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:04,640
Speaker 1: So after we had come within a few months, the

455
00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:08,160
Speaker 1: fishing vessel had gone, and as soon as we reached

456
00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:12,121
Speaker 1: our one hundred days, the other vessel ahead of us

457
00:26:12,281 --> 00:26:16,121
Speaker 1: was released. So for a very long time on the coast,

458
00:26:16,281 --> 00:26:19,680
Speaker 1: we were the only ship, and they did not want

459
00:26:19,761 --> 00:26:24,080
Speaker 1: to leave the coast empty. They wanted some vessel to

460
00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:30,601
Speaker 1: be there as hostage. So that actually prolonged our negotiations

461
00:26:30,681 --> 00:26:35,960
Speaker 1: between the hijackers and the shipowners, and that gap was

462
00:26:36,001 --> 00:26:42,080
Speaker 1: almost six months. So those six months were the worst part.

463
00:26:42,481 --> 00:26:45,481
Speaker 2: As I said, like fifty days is a long time,

464
00:26:45,521 --> 00:26:48,241
Speaker 2: but then you're saying that when you get to six months,

465
00:26:48,801 --> 00:26:52,001
Speaker 2: what like surely you're thinking in your head, am I

466
00:26:52,041 --> 00:26:54,081
Speaker 2: ever going to get out of this? You know? Are

467
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:57,681
Speaker 2: they panicking like the pirates? Are they or they still

468
00:26:57,681 --> 00:26:59,041
Speaker 2: calm after six months?

469
00:26:59,441 --> 00:27:02,321
Speaker 1: No, for the people who are who have hijacked you,

470
00:27:02,441 --> 00:27:06,321
Speaker 1: for the people who are keeping guard at you. For them,

471
00:27:06,681 --> 00:27:09,401
Speaker 1: I don't think they have too many ambitions in life,

472
00:27:09,721 --> 00:27:13,160
Speaker 1: and this whole network is not controlled by them. There

473
00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:15,441
Speaker 1: are people who are on day jobs, you can say,

474
00:27:15,481 --> 00:27:18,640
Speaker 1: you know, they count the number of hours they have

475
00:27:18,721 --> 00:27:21,840
Speaker 1: spent on a ship, and once the whole money is released,

476
00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:24,801
Speaker 1: they get paid bases the number of hours they have

477
00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:27,401
Speaker 1: spent on a ship guarding it. The people who go

478
00:27:27,521 --> 00:27:30,480
Speaker 1: out hijack the ship and bring back they get a

479
00:27:30,481 --> 00:27:33,160
Speaker 1: little bit extra because it is their catch, it is

480
00:27:33,201 --> 00:27:35,041
Speaker 1: their hunt. They are at a little bit of a

481
00:27:35,120 --> 00:27:38,281
Speaker 1: higher level of risk. So these are the people who

482
00:27:38,321 --> 00:27:42,081
Speaker 1: are keeping a guard on you. So for them, if

483
00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:44,840
Speaker 1: a ship is there for ten days, one hundred days,

484
00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:48,880
Speaker 1: or thousand days, it doesn't matter. They come finish their job,

485
00:27:49,441 --> 00:27:52,160
Speaker 1: finish ten days, twelve days, go back home, take a

486
00:27:52,201 --> 00:27:55,080
Speaker 1: break for five days, come back again, do their job,

487
00:27:55,961 --> 00:27:58,640
Speaker 1: sleep the whole day, wake up the whole night, keep

488
00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:02,561
Speaker 1: eating that grass, keep drinking tea with immense amount of sugar,

489
00:28:03,201 --> 00:28:05,640
Speaker 1: and sit with a gun the whole night. To the

490
00:28:05,721 --> 00:28:10,600
Speaker 1: people who were funding this racket, who were providing food

491
00:28:10,801 --> 00:28:15,080
Speaker 1: supplies to us later on for some so that we

492
00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:19,241
Speaker 1: could have our basic needs fulfilled, because after one point

493
00:28:19,281 --> 00:28:22,160
Speaker 1: of time, we had exhausted all the food, we had

494
00:28:22,201 --> 00:28:25,081
Speaker 1: exhausted all the diesel on the ship, and we needed

495
00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:29,561
Speaker 1: at least two three hours of electricity to have our

496
00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:33,200
Speaker 1: bare minimum, you know, fill some fresh water, cook at

497
00:28:33,281 --> 00:28:34,400
Speaker 1: least cook one meal.

498
00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:37,041
Speaker 2: How much were they asking for? What was the ransom?

499
00:28:37,481 --> 00:28:40,200
Speaker 1: I mean this was never disclosed to any of the crew, No,

500
00:28:40,401 --> 00:28:43,641
Speaker 1: it never came out in public, but I think it

501
00:28:43,801 --> 00:28:47,441
Speaker 1: was somewhere in upwards of three million dollars at that time.

502
00:28:47,601 --> 00:28:50,801
Speaker 1: For sure. I don't know what they agreed at. Finally,

503
00:28:50,881 --> 00:28:53,921
Speaker 1: what they closed that, I'm not aware of that, But

504
00:28:54,401 --> 00:28:58,041
Speaker 1: I mean we could from the pirates who were guarding

505
00:28:58,121 --> 00:29:01,841
Speaker 1: us initially. You know, you do end up having conversations

506
00:29:01,881 --> 00:29:06,241
Speaker 1: with them, You do end up, you know, becoming close

507
00:29:06,321 --> 00:29:08,961
Speaker 1: with them bally with some of them, Yes, of course,

508
00:29:09,001 --> 00:29:11,401
Speaker 1: because I mean at the end of the day they

509
00:29:11,401 --> 00:29:15,441
Speaker 1: are the ones who are giving you your basic necessities,

510
00:29:15,481 --> 00:29:19,481
Speaker 1: you know, so you do get involved in conversations with them, right,

511
00:29:20,081 --> 00:29:23,801
Speaker 1: So people who are behaving differently, some of us were

512
00:29:24,201 --> 00:29:28,121
Speaker 1: talking to them. Some of us was completely cut off

513
00:29:28,161 --> 00:29:32,321
Speaker 1: from them, ignoring them. Some of us realize that this

514
00:29:32,401 --> 00:29:35,281
Speaker 1: is what reality is, and when somebody is with you

515
00:29:35,321 --> 00:29:37,961
Speaker 1: twenty four seven, you do end up having a conversation

516
00:29:38,041 --> 00:29:38,321
Speaker 1: with them.

517
00:29:38,401 --> 00:29:38,641
Speaker 2: Right.

518
00:29:39,281 --> 00:29:42,041
Speaker 1: It's not that you can just speak quiet and sit

519
00:29:42,081 --> 00:29:44,841
Speaker 1: in one corner and live your life.

520
00:29:44,881 --> 00:29:47,761
Speaker 2: Now, so while you're on there, you were allowed to

521
00:29:47,881 --> 00:29:50,921
Speaker 2: communicate with your crew members or were you kept separate?

522
00:29:51,241 --> 00:29:51,881
Speaker 2: How would that work?

523
00:29:51,961 --> 00:29:55,601
Speaker 1: No? No, we were allowed to communicate. So we were

524
00:29:55,721 --> 00:30:01,441
Speaker 1: kept in different groups as trainees separately, the crew separately,

525
00:30:02,081 --> 00:30:06,881
Speaker 1: officers of different ranks separately, but we all used to

526
00:30:06,961 --> 00:30:11,321
Speaker 1: eat together, spend half the day together, sometimes in the bridge,

527
00:30:11,361 --> 00:30:15,801
Speaker 1: sometimes in the accommodation, because when there's no electricity, you

528
00:30:15,881 --> 00:30:18,321
Speaker 1: have to be at one place because the other area

529
00:30:18,321 --> 00:30:20,881
Speaker 1: on the ship is pitch dark, and these guys don't

530
00:30:20,921 --> 00:30:23,041
Speaker 1: want you to roam around freely because though even we

531
00:30:23,041 --> 00:30:25,240
Speaker 1: were not in a position to do anything, but they

532
00:30:25,241 --> 00:30:27,681
Speaker 1: did not want to take any chances. So during the

533
00:30:27,761 --> 00:30:30,841
Speaker 1: day everybody is together in one place, so it used

534
00:30:30,881 --> 00:30:31,361
Speaker 1: to be like that.

535
00:30:31,641 --> 00:30:34,921
Speaker 2: What about the conditions like after like say six months

536
00:30:35,201 --> 00:30:37,481
Speaker 2: and people's health wise? How was that going?

537
00:30:37,961 --> 00:30:40,681
Speaker 1: So initially first three months, as I said, we had

538
00:30:40,761 --> 00:30:44,361
Speaker 1: enough fresh water stored in our ship, We had enough

539
00:30:44,721 --> 00:30:47,440
Speaker 1: food stored in our ship to keep us going. We

540
00:30:47,481 --> 00:30:50,761
Speaker 1: had enough diesel to run the generators twenty four hours.

541
00:30:50,841 --> 00:30:54,041
Speaker 1: But our captain did warn these guys and he told

542
00:30:54,081 --> 00:30:57,321
Speaker 1: them that, you know, it's better that you Russian so

543
00:30:57,361 --> 00:31:00,561
Speaker 1: that the usage can be prolonged. But they did not

544
00:31:00,681 --> 00:31:03,561
Speaker 1: want to listen to any of our ideas and our thoughts,

545
00:31:03,561 --> 00:31:08,481
Speaker 1: and we ended up exhausting everything within three months. I mean,

546
00:31:09,161 --> 00:31:11,240
Speaker 1: I'm glad it went up to three months. Some of

547
00:31:11,281 --> 00:31:14,280
Speaker 1: the ships were very unfortunate that they did not have

548
00:31:14,321 --> 00:31:17,121
Speaker 1: so much of food and water stored with them, so

549
00:31:17,121 --> 00:31:20,401
Speaker 1: they had started struggling earlier. We were also very fortunate

550
00:31:20,561 --> 00:31:22,801
Speaker 1: that we had a generator that we were taking as

551
00:31:22,881 --> 00:31:28,081
Speaker 1: cargo for industrial purposes. We managed to use that generator

552
00:31:28,201 --> 00:31:31,440
Speaker 1: to run basic electrical needs on the ship, like the

553
00:31:31,481 --> 00:31:35,321
Speaker 1: hot plate and the lights and everything. So the usage

554
00:31:35,361 --> 00:31:38,801
Speaker 1: of diesel later on was much less as compared to

555
00:31:38,881 --> 00:31:42,681
Speaker 1: running a marine generator then second advantage was we had

556
00:31:42,721 --> 00:31:46,001
Speaker 1: a freshwater maker on the ship, so it would take

557
00:31:46,041 --> 00:31:49,921
Speaker 1: the seawater, desalinate it and then make fresh water out

558
00:31:49,921 --> 00:31:54,481
Speaker 1: of it. But the filters were exhausted, so we were

559
00:31:54,721 --> 00:31:58,841
Speaker 1: reusing the same filters, drying them out, trying to clean them.

560
00:31:59,601 --> 00:32:02,401
Speaker 1: That's what this industry teaches you, you know, your survival

561
00:32:02,441 --> 00:32:06,520
Speaker 1: skills become really, really strong. And we had made some

562
00:32:06,641 --> 00:32:10,521
Speaker 1: grills on the ship during this time to make sure

563
00:32:10,561 --> 00:32:13,641
Speaker 1: that during the day when there is when we can't

564
00:32:13,721 --> 00:32:16,561
Speaker 1: run the generators and still we want to have a

565
00:32:16,601 --> 00:32:19,481
Speaker 1: small fire to cook something, you know, So we made

566
00:32:19,561 --> 00:32:22,601
Speaker 1: grills out of cylinders that used to carry refrigerants for

567
00:32:22,641 --> 00:32:23,641
Speaker 1: the ac You.

568
00:32:23,601 --> 00:32:26,601
Speaker 2: Know, who was cutting people's hair and shaven. Can we

569
00:32:26,641 --> 00:32:27,521
Speaker 2: allow to still do that?

570
00:32:28,081 --> 00:32:30,001
Speaker 1: Yeah, we were doing it ourselves. Yeah, we want to

571
00:32:30,001 --> 00:32:30,681
Speaker 1: find ourselves.

572
00:32:32,321 --> 00:32:35,881
Speaker 2: So did anybody from your crew want to kind of

573
00:32:36,001 --> 00:32:39,201
Speaker 2: like jump the fence and go with the pirates?

574
00:32:40,481 --> 00:32:42,921
Speaker 1: Yeah? So, I mean, see, when it becomes about survival,

575
00:32:43,201 --> 00:32:48,440
Speaker 1: when it becomes about hunger, just hearing your family's voice,

576
00:32:49,281 --> 00:32:52,720
Speaker 1: every person has a breaking point, right. Yeah, these days

577
00:32:53,401 --> 00:32:55,801
Speaker 1: we see we hear so many things about people being

578
00:32:55,841 --> 00:32:59,441
Speaker 1: bribed with money, with luxury and all those things. When

579
00:32:59,481 --> 00:33:02,641
Speaker 1: you go back to my days, a loaf of bread

580
00:33:02,641 --> 00:33:04,761
Speaker 1: could bribe you. You know, we had gone down to

581
00:33:04,801 --> 00:33:08,281
Speaker 1: that level. There were some crew members who for the

582
00:33:08,361 --> 00:33:12,201
Speaker 1: small luxury to be able to sleep in their cabins,

583
00:33:12,721 --> 00:33:16,961
Speaker 1: to extra curtains, of cigarettes, these small things which don't

584
00:33:16,961 --> 00:33:20,401
Speaker 1: even make a difference in our current lives for me

585
00:33:20,521 --> 00:33:24,001
Speaker 1: and you right now, made a lot of difference back

586
00:33:24,041 --> 00:33:27,921
Speaker 1: then when it comes just to pure survival. So yeah,

587
00:33:27,961 --> 00:33:31,281
Speaker 1: I mean some of the crew did become over friendly

588
00:33:31,641 --> 00:33:34,601
Speaker 1: with the pirates. Even I'm not saying that we were

589
00:33:34,641 --> 00:33:37,641
Speaker 1: not friendly with them. Even we used to have a conversations, yes,

590
00:33:37,721 --> 00:33:41,440
Speaker 1: but my conversation with one of them would not be

591
00:33:42,161 --> 00:33:46,681
Speaker 1: giving them information about the captain is hiding hiding fuel,

592
00:33:47,601 --> 00:33:49,881
Speaker 1: you know. So I would not have these kind of

593
00:33:49,921 --> 00:33:52,561
Speaker 1: discussions with them, right I would have discussions with them

594
00:33:52,561 --> 00:33:56,681
Speaker 1: about movies, about songs. But then I wouldn't I wouldn't

595
00:33:56,721 --> 00:33:59,521
Speaker 1: give up on my colleague and tell them that, you know,

596
00:33:59,841 --> 00:34:03,121
Speaker 1: oh he's hiding he's hiding some dollars in his pants.

597
00:34:03,841 --> 00:34:07,801
Speaker 2: So for the whole that three hundred days, everything was

598
00:34:07,841 --> 00:34:10,281
Speaker 2: calm on that vessel. There was no one who got

599
00:34:10,281 --> 00:34:13,161
Speaker 2: out of hand, None of the pirates got violence or

600
00:34:13,201 --> 00:34:15,161
Speaker 2: anything like that. Everything was kind of calm.

601
00:34:15,841 --> 00:34:18,321
Speaker 1: No, no, no, no, not at all.

602
00:34:21,121 --> 00:34:23,401
Speaker 2: So I won't try to run away. You get off

603
00:34:23,441 --> 00:34:24,481
Speaker 2: that vessel and do a runner.

604
00:34:25,001 --> 00:34:28,401
Speaker 1: It was impossible. It was impossible because you are anchored

605
00:34:28,961 --> 00:34:31,961
Speaker 1: a few miles away from the coast. So if you

606
00:34:32,041 --> 00:34:33,401
Speaker 1: jump ship, you go to the water.

607
00:34:34,001 --> 00:34:36,161
Speaker 2: But I think, I think, after six months, I think

608
00:34:36,201 --> 00:34:38,041
Speaker 2: I'd rather jump the ship and I take.

609
00:34:37,921 --> 00:34:40,561
Speaker 1: My chance and go there. I don't know, I'm there.

610
00:34:40,721 --> 00:34:43,961
Speaker 2: I fucking swim wherever. I'm thinking, I'm never going to

611
00:34:44,041 --> 00:34:45,881
Speaker 2: leave this place, you know what I mean. So I'm thinking.

612
00:34:46,601 --> 00:34:49,441
Speaker 1: See, as a seafarer, the first thing you are taught

613
00:34:49,681 --> 00:34:54,081
Speaker 1: is your life is the most important thing out at sea.

614
00:34:54,721 --> 00:34:58,081
Speaker 1: Jumping ship is the last option, and never ever jump

615
00:34:58,121 --> 00:35:01,241
Speaker 1: a ship without a life jacket. Though you could be

616
00:35:01,281 --> 00:35:04,561
Speaker 1: the best of the swimmers in the world, but jumping

617
00:35:04,641 --> 00:35:06,921
Speaker 1: a ship without a life jacket is a big no

618
00:35:06,921 --> 00:35:11,961
Speaker 1: no in our situation, considering the point that your life

619
00:35:12,001 --> 00:35:14,521
Speaker 1: is the most important thing out at sea. Even if

620
00:35:14,561 --> 00:35:17,561
Speaker 1: I had the option to jump the ship, I could

621
00:35:17,641 --> 00:35:22,041
Speaker 1: have I jump the ship and swim where how far

622
00:35:22,161 --> 00:35:26,601
Speaker 1: can I swim? I am eighteen hundred nautical miles away

623
00:35:27,121 --> 00:35:31,921
Speaker 1: from my home country. I am three nautical miles away

624
00:35:31,921 --> 00:35:35,921
Speaker 1: from land, But when I go to land, I know

625
00:35:36,521 --> 00:35:40,161
Speaker 1: I will have bigger problems on land. At least I

626
00:35:40,201 --> 00:35:44,440
Speaker 1: am safe on my ship because this pirate group which

627
00:35:44,481 --> 00:35:47,681
Speaker 1: has hijacked my ship and who has kept me captive,

628
00:35:48,361 --> 00:35:51,561
Speaker 1: he's at least protecting me for the other wars that

629
00:35:51,601 --> 00:35:55,921
Speaker 1: are ongoing on land. For them, I am a valuable

630
00:35:55,961 --> 00:36:00,881
Speaker 1: asset for him because he is demanding millions of dollars

631
00:36:00,921 --> 00:36:05,801
Speaker 1: against my life. So my life is better off on

632
00:36:05,881 --> 00:36:08,281
Speaker 1: the ship. When I have people around me who can

633
00:36:08,321 --> 00:36:11,881
Speaker 1: speak my language. I can get at least one bowl

634
00:36:11,921 --> 00:36:14,401
Speaker 1: of rice a day. And with the rest of the

635
00:36:14,481 --> 00:36:17,921
Speaker 1: twenty five including me, we all together have a hope,

636
00:36:18,001 --> 00:36:23,081
Speaker 1: and we know that our owners are at least once

637
00:36:23,161 --> 00:36:25,801
Speaker 1: in three months are able to talk to these guys

638
00:36:25,801 --> 00:36:28,761
Speaker 1: to have a negotiation, if not on a weekly basis

639
00:36:28,841 --> 00:36:32,001
Speaker 1: or on a daily basis. So I have at least

640
00:36:32,681 --> 00:36:35,641
Speaker 1: twenty five percent hope to be able to go back

641
00:36:35,681 --> 00:36:38,241
Speaker 1: on the ship. But when I go to land, I

642
00:36:38,241 --> 00:36:40,960
Speaker 1: don't know. As soon as I come out of the water,

643
00:36:41,041 --> 00:36:43,041
Speaker 1: maybe somebody's holding a gun and he shoots me. He

644
00:36:43,081 --> 00:36:45,641
Speaker 1: doesn't know who am I I don't speak their language.

645
00:36:45,681 --> 00:36:48,241
Speaker 1: I don't know. Maybe they kidnap me and they put

646
00:36:48,281 --> 00:36:50,841
Speaker 1: me in a room in a dark room and start

647
00:36:50,881 --> 00:36:54,641
Speaker 1: negotiating with my government again to pay X amount of money.

648
00:36:55,081 --> 00:36:59,961
Speaker 1: So I'm completely disconnected from my crewmates. I'm completely disconnected

649
00:37:00,001 --> 00:37:02,441
Speaker 1: from my ship, and I'm struck in a bigger position

650
00:37:02,481 --> 00:37:05,081
Speaker 1: where nobody knows. My owner doesn't know. Right now, my

651
00:37:05,161 --> 00:37:07,521
Speaker 1: owner knows where I am. My captain is telling my

652
00:37:07,561 --> 00:37:09,921
Speaker 1: owner that yes, my people are alive, they are with me.

653
00:37:10,241 --> 00:37:12,721
Speaker 1: But tomorrow, if they don't know where I am, then

654
00:37:12,761 --> 00:37:14,361
Speaker 1: who are they going to negotiate with?

655
00:37:14,921 --> 00:37:19,281
Speaker 2: But surely by three hundred days, surely now your head's

656
00:37:19,321 --> 00:37:22,281
Speaker 2: playing games. Is this going to go to four hundred days?

657
00:37:22,321 --> 00:37:24,361
Speaker 2: Is this going to go to five hundred days? Are

658
00:37:24,361 --> 00:37:26,281
Speaker 2: we ever going to get out of here? Should we

659
00:37:26,321 --> 00:37:27,841
Speaker 2: now try and take over the boat and get our

660
00:37:27,881 --> 00:37:31,201
Speaker 2: boat back? Like what? Surely things are going for your head?

661
00:37:31,801 --> 00:37:35,440
Speaker 1: They are. But you see, I have done my risk analysis, right,

662
00:37:35,961 --> 00:37:38,361
Speaker 1: I know that if we try to fight them, if

663
00:37:38,361 --> 00:37:41,321
Speaker 1: we try to take over them, we're not trained to

664
00:37:41,441 --> 00:37:45,001
Speaker 1: use weapons. So for sure, for sure, there's going to

665
00:37:45,041 --> 00:37:49,921
Speaker 1: be few innocent lives gone. And even if you start

666
00:37:50,001 --> 00:37:52,881
Speaker 1: revolting you start the action. Trust me, a couple of

667
00:37:52,921 --> 00:37:57,041
Speaker 1: gunshots fired around you, you're going to just give it

668
00:37:57,121 --> 00:38:01,561
Speaker 1: up because it's scary. Guns being fired around you is

669
00:38:01,601 --> 00:38:08,201
Speaker 1: not something usual or common. So how strong of a

670
00:38:08,241 --> 00:38:11,521
Speaker 1: plan you make in your head when you think of

671
00:38:11,601 --> 00:38:14,041
Speaker 1: yourself as a navy seal, or you can do this

672
00:38:14,161 --> 00:38:17,081
Speaker 1: tactic or that tractic or from this movie or from

673
00:38:17,121 --> 00:38:20,641
Speaker 1: that movie. Practically when a gun is shot in front

674
00:38:20,681 --> 00:38:24,081
Speaker 1: of you, trust me, I had a gun pointed at

675
00:38:24,121 --> 00:38:29,161
Speaker 1: my head. When that cold barrel touches your head, the

676
00:38:29,201 --> 00:38:32,481
Speaker 1: only thought in your head is God. This guy should

677
00:38:32,561 --> 00:38:38,001
Speaker 1: not press that trigger, even by mistake, because even if

678
00:38:38,001 --> 00:38:40,601
Speaker 1: he does it by mistake, he's going to just say, Oh,

679
00:38:40,641 --> 00:38:44,521
Speaker 1: I'm sorry for him, that's it. But for me, my

680
00:38:44,601 --> 00:38:48,961
Speaker 1: whole bloody life is over. Nobody's going to catch hold

681
00:38:49,001 --> 00:38:51,921
Speaker 1: of him. Nobody's going to take justice for my loss

682
00:38:52,521 --> 00:38:56,361
Speaker 1: of life because it's his country, it's law of the land.

683
00:38:57,241 --> 00:39:01,761
Speaker 1: And trust me, I did not want to die without

684
00:39:02,081 --> 00:39:05,321
Speaker 1: anybody knowing that. You know that I'm lost. I did

685
00:39:05,401 --> 00:39:06,921
Speaker 1: not want to end up in that situation.

686
00:39:07,281 --> 00:39:09,241
Speaker 2: Were did you talk twenty of your family while you

687
00:39:09,241 --> 00:39:10,441
Speaker 2: were while you were at hostage?

688
00:39:10,761 --> 00:39:11,000
Speaker 1: No?

689
00:39:11,001 --> 00:39:11,721
Speaker 2: No, we couldn't be.

690
00:39:11,801 --> 00:39:14,681
Speaker 1: Couldn't We were unable to speak to any of them,

691
00:39:15,161 --> 00:39:19,281
Speaker 1: not for eleven months at all. Wow, And and you

692
00:39:19,281 --> 00:39:22,001
Speaker 1: brought up the question about whether it was going all

693
00:39:22,041 --> 00:39:25,281
Speaker 1: smooth and fine. It wasn't. So it used to be

694
00:39:25,321 --> 00:39:28,761
Speaker 1: in phases, you know. We used to have a normal period,

695
00:39:28,801 --> 00:39:33,281
Speaker 1: a normal day. Wake up, Eat whatever you can, whatever

696
00:39:33,401 --> 00:39:36,561
Speaker 1: is done prepared by the cook. Have that. Go up

697
00:39:36,561 --> 00:39:40,241
Speaker 1: to the bridge navigation room. Sit there, spend your time

698
00:39:40,841 --> 00:39:43,641
Speaker 1: because there is no electricity in the rest of the accommodation.

699
00:39:44,441 --> 00:39:49,441
Speaker 1: For lunch, you will get one bowl of rice, some gravy,

700
00:39:49,481 --> 00:39:53,921
Speaker 1: and one piece of potato. Enjoy your meal. Finish your evening.

701
00:39:54,921 --> 00:39:57,681
Speaker 1: As soon as the sun is going down, you will

702
00:39:57,681 --> 00:40:01,361
Speaker 1: get electricity for three hours. Before that, you have to

703
00:40:01,761 --> 00:40:06,761
Speaker 1: go to the deck. Put row hop down, Pull up

704
00:40:06,921 --> 00:40:10,681
Speaker 1: barrels of diesel that has come from the shore. Put

705
00:40:10,721 --> 00:40:14,681
Speaker 1: that diesel in your generator. Start the generator. Go down,

706
00:40:14,921 --> 00:40:17,681
Speaker 1: fill fresh water for the whole ship. For the pirates.

707
00:40:18,281 --> 00:40:23,041
Speaker 1: Somebody is preparing the food. Okay, you go wash your hands,

708
00:40:23,721 --> 00:40:26,641
Speaker 1: have that one loaf of bread and a cup of tea.

709
00:40:26,721 --> 00:40:30,361
Speaker 1: That's your dinner. Count the stars and go back to sleep.

710
00:40:31,201 --> 00:40:34,081
Speaker 1: This is a normal day, the day they get a

711
00:40:34,521 --> 00:40:39,161
Speaker 1: This used to happen sometimes before every negotiation call was

712
00:40:39,201 --> 00:40:43,641
Speaker 1: made between the owners and the pirate's boss, right, so

713
00:40:43,681 --> 00:40:46,801
Speaker 1: these guys would come on board. They would create a scene,

714
00:40:47,281 --> 00:40:50,401
Speaker 1: make us sit on our knees, point guns at us,

715
00:40:50,801 --> 00:40:54,601
Speaker 1: fire shots around you, scare the shit out of you,

716
00:40:55,001 --> 00:40:58,001
Speaker 1: take photos, put pressure on the captain to talk to

717
00:40:58,041 --> 00:41:01,681
Speaker 1: the owners and beg to agree to their demands and

718
00:41:01,761 --> 00:41:06,921
Speaker 1: pay the ansom. All those kind of until physical torture.

719
00:41:07,001 --> 00:41:12,081
Speaker 1: Pressure was ongoing in phases, you know, And it used

720
00:41:12,081 --> 00:41:15,281
Speaker 1: to go up every time. The first time it was

721
00:41:15,281 --> 00:41:17,641
Speaker 1: something else, the second time it was a bit higher,

722
00:41:18,001 --> 00:41:21,761
Speaker 1: the third time it was another step up. And that's

723
00:41:21,801 --> 00:41:24,761
Speaker 1: how it went. And you get in a zone when

724
00:41:24,801 --> 00:41:27,841
Speaker 1: you have no news from the outside world, when you

725
00:41:27,961 --> 00:41:31,761
Speaker 1: have no idea what's happening back home. You don't know

726
00:41:31,801 --> 00:41:35,081
Speaker 1: what stayed, your parents are in, you don't know whether

727
00:41:35,601 --> 00:41:39,041
Speaker 1: they are aware that you're still alive or not. You

728
00:41:39,761 --> 00:41:42,641
Speaker 1: get in a zone where you start questioning your existence.

729
00:41:44,081 --> 00:41:46,241
Speaker 1: But then that is the time where you have to

730
00:41:46,281 --> 00:41:50,001
Speaker 1: fight your thoughts to stay positive, to not give up,

731
00:41:51,121 --> 00:41:55,441
Speaker 1: to have faith, to have that belief that one day,

732
00:41:56,121 --> 00:42:00,521
Speaker 1: regardless it's one year two years. I believe that I'm

733
00:42:00,561 --> 00:42:03,601
Speaker 1: going to go back and see my family. Because if

734
00:42:03,641 --> 00:42:07,201
Speaker 1: you stop believing in that, that's the day it's all

735
00:42:07,201 --> 00:42:11,401
Speaker 1: over for you. And unfortunately we had somebody who gave

736
00:42:11,481 --> 00:42:15,081
Speaker 1: up and we lost him. We lost him on board.

737
00:42:15,761 --> 00:42:17,441
Speaker 1: There was a big loss to all of us. And

738
00:42:17,521 --> 00:42:20,161
Speaker 1: he was our cook, you know, and he had given

739
00:42:20,241 --> 00:42:25,361
Speaker 1: up for months, he was not talking to anybody. Then

740
00:42:25,441 --> 00:42:28,241
Speaker 1: he came to a request where he said, I don't

741
00:42:28,281 --> 00:42:31,041
Speaker 1: want to cook for anyone. I want to be myself. Okay.

742
00:42:31,121 --> 00:42:35,041
Speaker 1: We gave him that space. He stopped eating, isolated himself

743
00:42:35,081 --> 00:42:38,921
Speaker 1: from everybody. People tried to lift him up, bring him up,

744
00:42:39,041 --> 00:42:45,361
Speaker 1: cheer him up, no signs. Slowly, slowly, Hell started detiorating mentally,

745
00:42:45,401 --> 00:42:51,561
Speaker 1: started deteriorating. Cry at nights, howl at nights loudly. We

746
00:42:51,601 --> 00:42:55,521
Speaker 1: thought he was in some pain. But no communication. I mean,

747
00:42:56,561 --> 00:42:59,281
Speaker 1: he had forgotten his crew members. He had forgotten the

748
00:42:59,401 --> 00:43:02,281
Speaker 1: names of his crew members. At one point of time.

749
00:43:02,281 --> 00:43:05,761
Speaker 1: It was like that. And one day when the lights

750
00:43:05,801 --> 00:43:08,721
Speaker 1: came out and we were coming down from the bridge

751
00:43:09,401 --> 00:43:12,201
Speaker 1: where he used to take rest, there used to be

752
00:43:12,361 --> 00:43:15,281
Speaker 1: some kind of noise coming out out of pain or

753
00:43:15,321 --> 00:43:16,841
Speaker 1: he used to you know, in the dark, used to

754
00:43:16,921 --> 00:43:19,921
Speaker 1: keep talking to himself, keep saying something in his language.

755
00:43:20,561 --> 00:43:24,041
Speaker 1: For a second, I crossed that passage and I couldn't

756
00:43:24,041 --> 00:43:27,201
Speaker 1: hear anything, but I didn't realize, you know. And then

757
00:43:27,241 --> 00:43:29,521
Speaker 1: suddenly there was a rush of people in that room

758
00:43:29,881 --> 00:43:33,000
Speaker 1: when the lights were out, giving him CPR. I didn't

759
00:43:33,001 --> 00:43:35,121
Speaker 1: have the courage to go make eye contact there. I

760
00:43:35,201 --> 00:43:36,041
Speaker 1: was standing behind.

761
00:43:37,121 --> 00:43:39,440
Speaker 2: When did that happen to like, from how long ago?

762
00:43:40,041 --> 00:43:42,321
Speaker 2: When the ransom was paid? Did that happen?

763
00:43:43,601 --> 00:43:45,761
Speaker 1: He passed away and the ransom was paid in the

764
00:43:45,841 --> 00:43:50,520
Speaker 1: next four or five days. Wow. I feel that could

765
00:43:50,521 --> 00:43:53,921
Speaker 1: be another reason for them to agree to whatever the

766
00:43:53,961 --> 00:43:58,081
Speaker 1: negotiation was happening at that time, the pirates, because they

767
00:43:58,121 --> 00:44:00,601
Speaker 1: did not want this news to come out, and we

768
00:44:00,601 --> 00:44:03,681
Speaker 1: couldn't keep this news within us for a very long time.

769
00:44:03,761 --> 00:44:08,281
Speaker 1: Right of life would actually harm them. So I think

770
00:44:08,841 --> 00:44:11,481
Speaker 1: we lost him, but I think he was he was

771
00:44:11,521 --> 00:44:13,561
Speaker 1: a key factor in our freedom also.

772
00:44:13,361 --> 00:44:18,601
Speaker 2: So so on the eighth of March twenty eleven, it

773
00:44:18,681 --> 00:44:21,441
Speaker 2: came to an end. Talk me through that that final

774
00:44:21,561 --> 00:44:24,601
Speaker 2: day before you found out that, you know, use were

775
00:44:24,601 --> 00:44:25,241
Speaker 2: going to be freed.

776
00:44:26,641 --> 00:44:28,921
Speaker 1: From the time we were hijacked, every few weeks they

777
00:44:29,001 --> 00:44:31,401
Speaker 1: used to say that you're going to go in two weeks,

778
00:44:31,441 --> 00:44:33,281
Speaker 1: you're going to go in three weeks, you're going to

779
00:44:33,321 --> 00:44:35,721
Speaker 1: go in a month. So there came a point when

780
00:44:36,081 --> 00:44:38,801
Speaker 1: we just said we didn't even take any of those

781
00:44:38,841 --> 00:44:44,520
Speaker 1: words seriously, because every time, for eleven months, you built

782
00:44:44,601 --> 00:44:48,761
Speaker 1: up a hope and then you get disappointed. So we

783
00:44:48,841 --> 00:44:50,321
Speaker 1: used to be like, okay, we'll see when we go,

784
00:44:50,401 --> 00:44:52,401
Speaker 1: we go. It had come to that level. You know,

785
00:44:53,241 --> 00:44:56,681
Speaker 1: that day you could see the show very clearly, and

786
00:44:56,881 --> 00:45:00,201
Speaker 1: that particular morning there was a lot of cars on

787
00:45:00,241 --> 00:45:03,241
Speaker 1: the shores. You could see the headlights from the ship

788
00:45:03,481 --> 00:45:06,801
Speaker 1: before the sun came out. So then we were like, okay,

789
00:45:07,041 --> 00:45:10,361
Speaker 1: there is some action. But a similar kind of thing

790
00:45:10,401 --> 00:45:13,841
Speaker 1: had happened previously when we were on the hundredth day,

791
00:45:14,841 --> 00:45:18,201
Speaker 1: similar situation. The people on our ship were saying, you

792
00:45:18,241 --> 00:45:20,401
Speaker 1: are going, you are going, and you know, we had

793
00:45:20,641 --> 00:45:22,761
Speaker 1: and we saw so much of activity happening in and

794
00:45:22,801 --> 00:45:26,841
Speaker 1: around us, and then suddenly the ship next to us

795
00:45:27,281 --> 00:45:30,761
Speaker 1: gets released, get their money and goes out. And by

796
00:45:30,761 --> 00:45:32,641
Speaker 1: the time eleven months there was there were too many

797
00:45:32,641 --> 00:45:36,641
Speaker 1: ships around us already, so we were also confused and

798
00:45:36,721 --> 00:45:40,241
Speaker 1: thinking that maybe it is some other vessel and is

799
00:45:40,281 --> 00:45:43,641
Speaker 1: it really us? We are quite unsure. But then all

800
00:45:43,721 --> 00:45:47,201
Speaker 1: the guys came on board that particular day. I think

801
00:45:47,201 --> 00:45:50,641
Speaker 1: they were about at least at least one hundred people

802
00:45:50,681 --> 00:45:53,481
Speaker 1: plus on board the ship from from the pirate side.

803
00:45:54,281 --> 00:45:57,361
Speaker 1: They were all excited and as if you know, come

804
00:45:57,361 --> 00:45:59,521
Speaker 1: for a festival. It was. It was like that for them,

805
00:46:00,081 --> 00:46:03,641
Speaker 1: and we were all told to stand in three lines

806
00:46:03,721 --> 00:46:06,561
Speaker 1: on the deck. And then you hear the sound of

807
00:46:06,601 --> 00:46:09,561
Speaker 1: a plane in the air, you know, and you see

808
00:46:09,561 --> 00:46:12,841
Speaker 1: a small plane that comes and takes around, and you

809
00:46:12,881 --> 00:46:16,561
Speaker 1: see the door is open and somebody's clicking photographs. That

810
00:46:16,761 --> 00:46:21,201
Speaker 1: plane takes about two rounds three rounds of you. And

811
00:46:20,641 --> 00:46:24,000
Speaker 1: then then a boat goes from your ship a little

812
00:46:24,041 --> 00:46:26,961
Speaker 1: bit far away in the water and they open a

813
00:46:27,041 --> 00:46:29,281
Speaker 1: smoke float and they throw it in the water or

814
00:46:29,321 --> 00:46:32,361
Speaker 1: in smoke is coming out of it as a signal

815
00:46:32,481 --> 00:46:35,041
Speaker 1: that you know, this is where you drop the money.

816
00:46:35,681 --> 00:46:38,761
Speaker 1: And then that plane passes over your head and it

817
00:46:38,841 --> 00:46:42,401
Speaker 1: drops a bag with a parachute, small parachute, and the

818
00:46:42,441 --> 00:46:47,081
Speaker 1: bag is like just slowly, slowly, you know, coming down,

819
00:46:47,401 --> 00:46:50,481
Speaker 1: and you see your freedom from the plane, you know,

820
00:46:50,721 --> 00:46:53,481
Speaker 1: coming down to the level of your eyes, and then

821
00:46:54,081 --> 00:46:57,201
Speaker 1: hitting the water, and as soon as it touches the water,

822
00:46:57,921 --> 00:47:01,601
Speaker 1: two boats rush to it with full speed and they

823
00:47:01,841 --> 00:47:04,601
Speaker 1: grab the bag and they put it in the boat.

824
00:47:05,201 --> 00:47:07,241
Speaker 1: And the smoke float is still ongoing, you know, you

825
00:47:07,281 --> 00:47:10,401
Speaker 1: can still see the orange smoke coming out. And then

826
00:47:10,441 --> 00:47:14,081
Speaker 1: the boats come to your ship. Every hand on deck

827
00:47:14,121 --> 00:47:16,521
Speaker 1: from their side is pulling that bag up. You know,

828
00:47:18,681 --> 00:47:20,481
Speaker 1: they take that back, they take it to one of

829
00:47:20,521 --> 00:47:26,321
Speaker 1: the rooms. That's where they start distributing everybody's money. I

830
00:47:26,321 --> 00:47:28,641
Speaker 1: mean that way, they were very good. They settled all

831
00:47:28,681 --> 00:47:33,921
Speaker 1: accounts that they itself, but then they left us to

832
00:47:34,441 --> 00:47:38,321
Speaker 1: our own. They knew our ship was in a ship condition,

833
00:47:38,441 --> 00:47:42,561
Speaker 1: they knew we had no fuel, but they just didn't bother.

834
00:47:42,921 --> 00:47:44,881
Speaker 1: As soon as they got the money, they gave up

835
00:47:44,881 --> 00:47:47,961
Speaker 1: all the money to all their guys, distributed among themselves

836
00:47:47,961 --> 00:47:52,041
Speaker 1: whatever they did, and they just just left, just disappeared,

837
00:47:52,121 --> 00:47:54,961
Speaker 1: left it, left it to us, and we were like, okay,

838
00:47:55,361 --> 00:47:58,441
Speaker 1: you know, okay, fine, I was. I wasn't expecting a

839
00:47:58,521 --> 00:48:05,561
Speaker 1: hug or a goodbye. But but you know, but we

840
00:48:05,641 --> 00:48:08,361
Speaker 1: don't even know whether we are. They're confused in our

841
00:48:08,401 --> 00:48:10,601
Speaker 1: head that are we free or are we not? Are

842
00:48:10,601 --> 00:48:12,921
Speaker 1: they going to come back at night somebody else is

843
00:48:12,961 --> 00:48:15,481
Speaker 1: going to come at night. It took us some time

844
00:48:15,561 --> 00:48:19,001
Speaker 1: to gather all these things, and then we decided, okay,

845
00:48:19,041 --> 00:48:22,241
Speaker 1: you know, let's let's connect the satphone, let's talk to

846
00:48:22,281 --> 00:48:25,721
Speaker 1: the owners, let's give them the ground reality. And that's

847
00:48:25,761 --> 00:48:28,001
Speaker 1: when we broke the news that, you know, we have

848
00:48:28,081 --> 00:48:32,041
Speaker 1: lost one crew member. Everybody else is fine. The ship

849
00:48:32,081 --> 00:48:35,440
Speaker 1: is not in a condition to say either you send

850
00:48:35,521 --> 00:48:37,921
Speaker 1: us somebody to pull us out of here, as in

851
00:48:38,041 --> 00:48:40,801
Speaker 1: connect with the ship and tow us out. So yeah,

852
00:48:40,801 --> 00:48:43,761
Speaker 1: there's different strategies were being made, different plans were being made.

853
00:48:44,161 --> 00:48:46,681
Speaker 1: We were able to call back home, speak to our parents.

854
00:48:47,121 --> 00:48:51,440
Speaker 1: I very clearly remember twenty eleven, the ODI World Cup

855
00:48:51,561 --> 00:48:54,641
Speaker 1: was going on India. It was being being played in India,

856
00:48:55,521 --> 00:48:58,081
Speaker 1: and me being an Indian and a cricket fan, you know,

857
00:48:59,001 --> 00:49:01,401
Speaker 1: you're talking, you're talking, but then you end up asking

858
00:49:01,481 --> 00:49:08,521
Speaker 1: house India performing in the World Cup. So I mean,

859
00:49:08,561 --> 00:49:12,121
Speaker 1: these kind of things actually give a lot of confidence

860
00:49:12,161 --> 00:49:15,081
Speaker 1: to your parents as well that yeah, my kid is

861
00:49:15,121 --> 00:49:17,521
Speaker 1: he's still saying in the head, he's not lost it,

862
00:49:17,601 --> 00:49:17,801
Speaker 1: you know.

863
00:49:18,001 --> 00:49:20,401
Speaker 2: But what was their reaction when you actually got to

864
00:49:20,401 --> 00:49:22,481
Speaker 2: talk to them, Did they think you were still alive?

865
00:49:22,521 --> 00:49:24,241
Speaker 2: Did they know anything about what was going on?

866
00:49:24,681 --> 00:49:27,161
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, they were, They were quite aware. The owners

867
00:49:27,201 --> 00:49:29,841
Speaker 1: were very the owners were very kind to to keep

868
00:49:29,881 --> 00:49:33,000
Speaker 1: them informed on every step of negotiations, though they could

869
00:49:33,041 --> 00:49:36,481
Speaker 1: not give them the complete details because it was very

870
00:49:36,481 --> 00:49:40,561
Speaker 1: private and confidential. But then again, the time, the time

871
00:49:40,601 --> 00:49:43,081
Speaker 1: period was so long that they were losing their patients

872
00:49:43,321 --> 00:49:47,881
Speaker 1: and and they were getting very uh, it was getting

873
00:49:47,961 --> 00:49:53,001
Speaker 1: very difficult for them to believe the kind of messages

874
00:49:53,281 --> 00:49:55,801
Speaker 1: or the information the owners were passing it to them.

875
00:49:55,961 --> 00:49:59,121
Speaker 1: You know, I mean, I don't blame them, the owners,

876
00:49:59,161 --> 00:50:01,681
Speaker 1: and I don't blame anybody, trust me. You know, when

877
00:50:01,681 --> 00:50:05,761
Speaker 1: I got back, there was so much of confusion about

878
00:50:05,841 --> 00:50:08,521
Speaker 1: what the owner was telling my parents and how aggressive

879
00:50:08,601 --> 00:50:12,041
Speaker 1: my parents or other parents, my crew members or my colleagues,

880
00:50:12,081 --> 00:50:16,561
Speaker 1: their wives, their extended families. They were so so And

881
00:50:16,601 --> 00:50:20,401
Speaker 1: it's it's very natural. You know, your loved one is

882
00:50:20,481 --> 00:50:23,441
Speaker 1: stuck somewhere and he's been there for eleven months and

883
00:50:23,481 --> 00:50:26,881
Speaker 1: you don't you haven't heard their voice. You will go

884
00:50:26,961 --> 00:50:29,841
Speaker 1: to the person who's responsible to get them out, and

885
00:50:29,881 --> 00:50:32,361
Speaker 1: you will, you will suck the blood out of him.

886
00:50:32,401 --> 00:50:37,281
Speaker 1: It's it's it's very natural, but but I feel they did.

887
00:50:37,561 --> 00:50:41,041
Speaker 1: My owners did a very good job. Whatever they could

888
00:50:41,121 --> 00:50:43,761
Speaker 1: do for us, it was it was the best in

889
00:50:43,801 --> 00:50:46,440
Speaker 1: their in their hands and in their capabilities. And when

890
00:50:46,481 --> 00:50:48,201
Speaker 1: we when we got back and when we had these

891
00:50:48,241 --> 00:50:51,361
Speaker 1: conversations with our families, and then they realized that, yes,

892
00:50:52,361 --> 00:50:55,401
Speaker 1: whatever information was being passed, it was actually the same

893
00:50:55,441 --> 00:50:56,641
Speaker 1: scenario that was happening.

894
00:50:57,081 --> 00:50:59,721
Speaker 2: You know, because I read, I read, sorry I read,

895
00:50:59,761 --> 00:51:02,681
Speaker 2: I did read. And I don't know if how accurate

896
00:51:02,721 --> 00:51:06,721
Speaker 2: this is, but in twenty eleven, the pirates around that

897
00:51:06,841 --> 00:51:09,001
Speaker 2: area made one hundred and seventy million.

898
00:51:10,281 --> 00:51:12,441
Speaker 1: Could have been now I'm not surprised.

899
00:51:12,521 --> 00:51:13,641
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a lot of money.

900
00:51:13,881 --> 00:51:17,201
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, could have been easily easily. And if you

901
00:51:17,281 --> 00:51:20,121
Speaker 1: do the you if you checked the years prior or

902
00:51:20,241 --> 00:51:25,801
Speaker 1: after the figures, the figures all over so earlier, the

903
00:51:25,881 --> 00:51:29,081
Speaker 1: complete amount of piracy, the money that was coming into

904
00:51:29,161 --> 00:51:31,361
Speaker 1: the country out of piracy, was much more than that.

905
00:51:31,721 --> 00:51:35,041
Speaker 2: We didn't put you off like that after this happened,

906
00:51:35,041 --> 00:51:36,441
Speaker 2: that you just go this is not for me.

907
00:51:37,401 --> 00:51:39,001
Speaker 1: But really, as I said, you know, I was a

908
00:51:39,041 --> 00:51:43,001
Speaker 1: complete different person after this. I actually I actually realized

909
00:51:43,121 --> 00:51:46,361
Speaker 1: that life is going to throw you challenges at different times.

910
00:51:46,721 --> 00:51:50,361
Speaker 1: You know, that's not a challenge. That's it was. That's

911
00:51:50,521 --> 00:51:55,801
Speaker 1: just like doesn't happen. It doesn't happen because you see,

912
00:51:56,241 --> 00:52:00,241
Speaker 1: every individual has its own set of problems, right and

913
00:52:00,361 --> 00:52:03,961
Speaker 1: for that particular individual at that moment, that problem is

914
00:52:04,001 --> 00:52:08,121
Speaker 1: the biggest problem of the world. I will not care

915
00:52:08,441 --> 00:52:12,041
Speaker 1: what my neighbor is going through. I will not care

916
00:52:12,401 --> 00:52:16,161
Speaker 1: what my extended family is going through. If I'm going

917
00:52:16,201 --> 00:52:21,241
Speaker 1: through a tough phase, it might be it might be

918
00:52:22,681 --> 00:52:25,521
Speaker 1: something manageable by somebody else. But if it is not

919
00:52:25,601 --> 00:52:28,041
Speaker 1: manageable by me, that is my biggest challenge. That is

920
00:52:28,081 --> 00:52:32,361
Speaker 1: my biggest problem. So what worse can happen than this?

921
00:52:33,841 --> 00:52:36,841
Speaker 1: I look at it that way. Now, what worse can

922
00:52:36,881 --> 00:52:41,361
Speaker 1: happen than this? I was twenty one people around me,

923
00:52:41,681 --> 00:52:48,121
Speaker 1: my friends, my family, my other batchmates who were not

924
00:52:48,161 --> 00:52:52,281
Speaker 1: on the same ship, had no idea if I would

925
00:52:52,281 --> 00:52:56,561
Speaker 1: ever come back. At one point of time, I had

926
00:52:56,561 --> 00:52:59,401
Speaker 1: no idea if I would ever be able to see them.

927
00:52:59,841 --> 00:53:03,321
Speaker 1: But when I believed, and when I kept my thoughts

928
00:53:03,361 --> 00:53:07,521
Speaker 1: positive and I and I every day morning and every

929
00:53:07,601 --> 00:53:12,481
Speaker 1: day before going to bed, I told myself, I promised

930
00:53:12,481 --> 00:53:16,161
Speaker 1: myself that I will go and see them, regardless what

931
00:53:16,241 --> 00:53:21,081
Speaker 1: happens tomorrow. I will go and see them, and you

932
00:53:21,121 --> 00:53:25,121
Speaker 1: will not believe. You know, I used to. You know,

933
00:53:25,161 --> 00:53:27,641
Speaker 1: we have imaginary thoughts in our head, right, we dream

934
00:53:27,681 --> 00:53:32,841
Speaker 1: about things correct as human beings. We have aspirations, we

935
00:53:32,921 --> 00:53:36,960
Speaker 1: have dreams. I used to dream about on those days.

936
00:53:36,961 --> 00:53:40,881
Speaker 1: I used to dream about how and what I would

937
00:53:40,921 --> 00:53:46,081
Speaker 1: be doing the moment I got back home with one

938
00:53:46,121 --> 00:53:49,561
Speaker 1: set of people with the other set of people, and

939
00:53:50,041 --> 00:53:55,241
Speaker 1: such and those positive thoughts. Trust me, if you, if you,

940
00:53:56,481 --> 00:53:59,841
Speaker 1: if you live in that positivity, it makes a lot

941
00:53:59,881 --> 00:54:03,721
Speaker 1: of difference for you to tackle your problems.

942
00:54:05,281 --> 00:54:05,561
Speaker 2: I had.

943
00:54:06,641 --> 00:54:09,961
Speaker 1: I had never read about I had never studied about

944
00:54:11,481 --> 00:54:17,521
Speaker 1: mental health or you know, or any of those problems

945
00:54:18,001 --> 00:54:20,601
Speaker 1: that people face. I was too young at that time. Man,

946
00:54:20,641 --> 00:54:23,721
Speaker 1: I was twenty one. I was I was earning a

947
00:54:23,721 --> 00:54:26,520
Speaker 1: decent stiphen when I was working on ships. Every time

948
00:54:26,521 --> 00:54:28,281
Speaker 1: I used to have a potocol, I used to go

949
00:54:28,361 --> 00:54:32,641
Speaker 1: out and party, you know, have a drink, have nice food,

950
00:54:32,721 --> 00:54:36,000
Speaker 1: come back to the ship. I mean, I was taking

951
00:54:36,041 --> 00:54:41,561
Speaker 1: care of myself quite well, right, But some things come

952
00:54:41,601 --> 00:54:46,161
Speaker 1: out of you, which I feel that it was in

953
00:54:46,201 --> 00:54:48,641
Speaker 1: my It was in my conscious mind, but I never

954
00:54:48,721 --> 00:54:53,761
Speaker 1: realized the capabilities I had in myself. And it was.

955
00:54:53,881 --> 00:55:01,441
Speaker 1: It actually came out in that year, and from there

956
00:55:01,881 --> 00:55:05,281
Speaker 1: it made me a person which helped me live my

957
00:55:05,401 --> 00:55:10,161
Speaker 1: life and take decisions for me to to to come

958
00:55:10,201 --> 00:55:17,321
Speaker 1: where I am today. And I think an incident of

959
00:55:17,321 --> 00:55:19,921
Speaker 1: of of such kind or anything, as I said, a

960
00:55:19,961 --> 00:55:22,401
Speaker 1: problem that you must be facing God forbid, or I

961
00:55:22,521 --> 00:55:24,721
Speaker 1: must be facing or somebody else that would be his

962
00:55:24,721 --> 00:55:29,721
Speaker 1: biggest problem. The problem will get solved, right, it's not

963
00:55:29,841 --> 00:55:33,001
Speaker 1: the end of the world. But how you reach the

964
00:55:33,041 --> 00:55:36,921
Speaker 1: solution of the problem will define how you live your

965
00:55:36,921 --> 00:55:39,241
Speaker 1: next few years. It will make you a different person

966
00:55:39,801 --> 00:55:42,161
Speaker 1: if you take the positives out of it, if you

967
00:55:42,321 --> 00:55:45,161
Speaker 1: stay with the negatives, if you sulk with the negatives,

968
00:55:46,001 --> 00:55:48,281
Speaker 1: it's it's it's it's not it's not going to work.

969
00:55:48,761 --> 00:55:52,361
Speaker 2: If this, if this, sorry, finish, finish, finish.

970
00:55:52,241 --> 00:55:55,801
Speaker 1: So yeah, So I I have I have started. Uh,

971
00:55:56,201 --> 00:56:01,041
Speaker 1: I have started giving up on on on all the

972
00:56:01,041 --> 00:56:05,401
Speaker 1: negative parts of anything bad that happens to me. I

973
00:56:06,161 --> 00:56:09,960
Speaker 1: run my own own business here. It's it's a hell

974
00:56:10,001 --> 00:56:13,801
Speaker 1: of a challenge. We are competing with the biggest names.

975
00:56:14,601 --> 00:56:20,481
Speaker 1: This cutthroat competitions. You know, people bypass you, people take

976
00:56:20,521 --> 00:56:27,281
Speaker 1: advantage of you, people cut corners. Well, I I don't

977
00:56:27,321 --> 00:56:31,321
Speaker 1: carry all that burden back home. Trust me. Maybe that

978
00:56:31,481 --> 00:56:36,561
Speaker 1: is that is why I'm you know, I people who

979
00:56:36,601 --> 00:56:39,241
Speaker 1: who who do those kind of things, maybe you know

980
00:56:39,281 --> 00:56:42,761
Speaker 1: they're making more money than me. But it's okay, man, uh,

981
00:56:43,561 --> 00:56:46,241
Speaker 1: I'm I'm happy and I'm content in what I'm doing,

982
00:56:46,321 --> 00:56:50,161
Speaker 1: and I have peace. I have peace I have I

983
00:56:50,161 --> 00:56:53,481
Speaker 1: have made peace with it that no need to carry baggage.

984
00:56:55,041 --> 00:56:59,801
Speaker 1: If you carry that baggage, if you sulk over it,

985
00:56:59,801 --> 00:57:02,001
Speaker 1: it's not gonna it's it's it's only going to keep

986
00:57:02,001 --> 00:57:03,520
Speaker 1: adding you and pulling you down.

987
00:57:03,881 --> 00:57:08,081
Speaker 2: If this happened now to you, what would you do

988
00:57:08,161 --> 00:57:10,441
Speaker 2: differently if this happened now?

989
00:57:11,521 --> 00:57:15,521
Speaker 1: Okay, Now I'm in a totally different situation. I'm married,

990
00:57:15,521 --> 00:57:19,921
Speaker 1: I've got kids, my parents have aged ten to fifteen

991
00:57:20,001 --> 00:57:23,841
Speaker 1: years more than the time there. I'm going to have

992
00:57:24,081 --> 00:57:27,601
Speaker 1: more worrisome thoughts in my head. I'm going to have

993
00:57:27,641 --> 00:57:31,201
Speaker 1: more worrisome thoughts in my head. But deep down I

994
00:57:32,201 --> 00:57:38,001
Speaker 1: know that my partner, she's a stronger person than I am,

995
00:57:38,761 --> 00:57:41,961
Speaker 1: so she will be taking good care of the people

996
00:57:42,001 --> 00:57:45,921
Speaker 1: around me. She will be holding up everybody strong. I

997
00:57:45,961 --> 00:57:47,801
Speaker 1: know that I have so much of confidence in that.

998
00:57:48,601 --> 00:57:52,201
Speaker 1: And if my mind is covered in that space, then

999
00:57:52,281 --> 00:57:54,441
Speaker 1: it's it's only going to be the game of patience again.

1000
00:57:55,441 --> 00:57:57,241
Speaker 1: So it's only going to be the game of patience.

1001
00:57:58,201 --> 00:58:02,761
Speaker 1: That's what it was back then. They were some of

1002
00:58:02,761 --> 00:58:06,881
Speaker 1: my my colleagues I know who continue to sail. I'm

1003
00:58:06,921 --> 00:58:08,721
Speaker 1: not saying I'm the only one come out of it

1004
00:58:08,841 --> 00:58:11,521
Speaker 1: so nicely. No, there are some friends of mine who

1005
00:58:11,521 --> 00:58:13,561
Speaker 1: are continuing at ship, who are doing very well in

1006
00:58:13,601 --> 00:58:18,041
Speaker 1: their careers, their marriage, they have kids, but they have

1007
00:58:18,161 --> 00:58:21,841
Speaker 1: not spoken about it so openly. I've written a book

1008
00:58:21,881 --> 00:58:26,121
Speaker 1: on it. My book has been published April of last year.

1009
00:58:28,121 --> 00:58:32,961
Speaker 1: I have spoken on podcasts, I've spoken on teter X.

1010
00:58:34,401 --> 00:58:38,921
Speaker 1: So everyone has taken it differently. Some people don't like

1011
00:58:38,961 --> 00:58:43,001
Speaker 1: to bring up that topic in discussions. Some of them

1012
00:58:43,041 --> 00:58:45,401
Speaker 1: have given up Sea, some of them have isolated from

1013
00:58:45,441 --> 00:58:51,561
Speaker 1: their families, you know. So everyone has taken differently. But

1014
00:58:51,761 --> 00:58:56,641
Speaker 1: I can only talk about myself and what I do

1015
00:58:56,721 --> 00:58:59,601
Speaker 1: and what I take from it is trust me only

1016
00:58:59,641 --> 00:59:03,601
Speaker 1: the positives. I'll tell you something, Neil. When I came

1017
00:59:03,641 --> 00:59:10,921
Speaker 1: back and we used to have dinner table discussions about

1018
00:59:10,921 --> 00:59:16,361
Speaker 1: the incident with my family, I only brought up the

1019
00:59:17,161 --> 00:59:20,681
Speaker 1: humor out of it, and I used to crack everybody

1020
00:59:20,761 --> 00:59:24,041
Speaker 1: up on the dining table. And there were some guests

1021
00:59:24,121 --> 00:59:27,081
Speaker 1: at some point of time, and they told me that

1022
00:59:27,121 --> 00:59:29,441
Speaker 1: we can't even And they had come over to me,

1023
00:59:30,081 --> 00:59:33,001
Speaker 1: to my family after the incident a few months later,

1024
00:59:33,041 --> 00:59:36,481
Speaker 1: of course not immediately, but but just out of courtesy

1025
00:59:36,561 --> 00:59:40,121
Speaker 1: and sympathy and all that, you know. And and by

1026
00:59:40,161 --> 00:59:42,521
Speaker 1: the time we were seeing them off from dinner, they

1027
00:59:42,521 --> 00:59:45,201
Speaker 1: were like, you know, it was it was it is

1028
00:59:45,281 --> 00:59:47,921
Speaker 1: quite impossible to believe that you have, you have come

1029
00:59:48,001 --> 00:59:52,481
Speaker 1: back from from from such an incident. And and to

1030
00:59:52,521 --> 00:59:54,321
Speaker 1: tell you, I was just twenty one, twenty two at

1031
00:59:54,321 --> 00:59:58,121
Speaker 1: that time, twenty two at that time, and I don't

1032
00:59:58,161 --> 01:00:00,641
Speaker 1: know how. I mean, it just happened very naturally. It

1033
01:00:00,761 --> 01:00:03,921
Speaker 1: just happened very naturally. That that I made sure that

1034
01:00:03,961 --> 01:00:08,561
Speaker 1: I never brought up any emotional discussions or any uh,

1035
01:00:09,201 --> 01:00:12,521
Speaker 1: any incidents where I was beaten or you know, I was.

1036
01:00:13,761 --> 01:00:18,201
Speaker 1: My parents and my close ones got to know about

1037
01:00:18,241 --> 01:00:21,761
Speaker 1: the extent of things. When they're at the book. There's

1038
01:00:21,801 --> 01:00:24,121
Speaker 1: so many things that I had never shared with them,

1039
01:00:24,161 --> 01:00:27,321
Speaker 1: and and and they were surprised, but now they're in

1040
01:00:27,361 --> 01:00:30,721
Speaker 1: a position to digest it. Right back then, they were

1041
01:00:30,721 --> 01:00:35,441
Speaker 1: not back then it would all get emotional and tears

1042
01:00:35,481 --> 01:00:39,241
Speaker 1: coming up from here and there. So I I always

1043
01:00:39,241 --> 01:00:44,001
Speaker 1: made sure that to share something which would not which

1044
01:00:44,041 --> 01:00:48,521
Speaker 1: would not give me sympathy from from somebody else. I

1045
01:00:48,721 --> 01:00:52,081
Speaker 1: never looked for for any sympathy. After that incident, I

1046
01:00:52,481 --> 01:00:55,561
Speaker 1: knew that I had to make I had to live

1047
01:00:55,601 --> 01:00:58,881
Speaker 1: my own life. Everyone is to themselves. This is what

1048
01:00:58,921 --> 01:01:02,041
Speaker 1: I have learned. These are your own battles. You have

1049
01:01:02,121 --> 01:01:06,081
Speaker 1: to fight them yourself, and and they're for Sympathy is

1050
01:01:06,121 --> 01:01:10,161
Speaker 1: not going to do any good. So be brave enough

1051
01:01:10,201 --> 01:01:13,481
Speaker 1: to to to brace them and live with them and

1052
01:01:14,081 --> 01:01:17,641
Speaker 1: touch what So far, That's what I'm doing and not

1053
01:01:17,801 --> 01:01:22,401
Speaker 1: needed any counseling, not needed to talk to to talk

1054
01:01:22,441 --> 01:01:25,241
Speaker 1: to any any any kind of a psychiatrist or anything.

1055
01:01:25,681 --> 01:01:29,361
Speaker 2: Sometimes people deal with the things like this differently. You're you're,

1056
01:01:29,481 --> 01:01:32,121
Speaker 2: you've openly talked about it and wrote a book. Some

1057
01:01:32,161 --> 01:01:34,761
Speaker 2: people keep it to themselves, and they're the ones that

1058
01:01:34,841 --> 01:01:36,881
Speaker 2: need the therapy, you know what I mean, Because they

1059
01:01:36,881 --> 01:01:38,601
Speaker 2: can't talk about it, they don't know how to bring

1060
01:01:38,641 --> 01:01:40,681
Speaker 2: it up. But you can openly bring it up and

1061
01:01:40,681 --> 01:01:42,361
Speaker 2: you can have a joke about it, you know what

1062
01:01:42,401 --> 01:01:45,041
Speaker 2: I mean. So it's some people just go about it

1063
01:01:45,041 --> 01:01:45,801
Speaker 2: different ways.

1064
01:01:46,321 --> 01:01:48,321
Speaker 1: True, I mean, yeah, as I said, it's it's it's

1065
01:01:48,361 --> 01:01:53,321
Speaker 1: each one to themselves, how they digested, how they took it. Unfortunately,

1066
01:01:53,401 --> 01:01:57,801
Speaker 1: I'm not in such close contacts with any of my batchments. Yes,

1067
01:01:57,881 --> 01:02:02,081
Speaker 1: we do communicate on on on messages and on calls sometimes,

1068
01:02:02,081 --> 01:02:05,761
Speaker 1: but we have not been able to sit together and

1069
01:02:05,801 --> 01:02:08,601
Speaker 1: you know, to discuss it over a drink or whatever.

1070
01:02:08,921 --> 01:02:12,441
Speaker 1: That has never happened. So I don't know the pulse

1071
01:02:12,521 --> 01:02:15,161
Speaker 1: of everybody what it is now. But yes, when I

1072
01:02:15,201 --> 01:02:18,241
Speaker 1: speak to them, it is only about how's your life,

1073
01:02:18,241 --> 01:02:23,681
Speaker 1: how's your family, how's it going? Recently they wish me

1074
01:02:23,721 --> 01:02:27,921
Speaker 1: good luck about the book, and yeah, I mean, but

1075
01:02:28,041 --> 01:02:32,121
Speaker 1: it has everybody. I think people move on. People move on.

1076
01:02:33,121 --> 01:02:38,681
Speaker 1: Life doesn't hang on for anybody in our industry. They

1077
01:02:38,681 --> 01:02:43,161
Speaker 1: say that time and tide they wait for nobody. They

1078
01:02:43,241 --> 01:02:46,841
Speaker 1: keep changing, they keep moving on, which is true, and

1079
01:02:47,041 --> 01:02:50,201
Speaker 1: people have moved on in their own different ways, as

1080
01:02:50,241 --> 01:02:57,521
Speaker 1: I said, But yeah, I mean, my my idea has

1081
01:02:57,521 --> 01:03:03,161
Speaker 1: always been that whatever happens, always you can hand pick

1082
01:03:03,281 --> 01:03:08,121
Speaker 1: the positives out of any situation, out of any problem,

1083
01:03:08,481 --> 01:03:12,401
Speaker 1: out of anything. I mean, even in even where I

1084
01:03:12,441 --> 01:03:16,481
Speaker 1: am right now, where I'm living right now. We are

1085
01:03:16,481 --> 01:03:18,761
Speaker 1: in a we are in the middle of a war

1086
01:03:19,241 --> 01:03:22,281
Speaker 1: which we are being dragged into for no reason. Right

1087
01:03:23,401 --> 01:03:27,961
Speaker 1: back home, the family is worried because the news is

1088
01:03:28,081 --> 01:03:30,521
Speaker 1: showing them that there is a there is there is

1089
01:03:30,561 --> 01:03:34,121
Speaker 1: a there is a hit every few hours in this place,

1090
01:03:34,161 --> 01:03:37,361
Speaker 1: which is not true. I mean, yes, these are not

1091
01:03:37,401 --> 01:03:43,041
Speaker 1: normal times here. We have never experienced these times. But

1092
01:03:43,081 --> 01:03:47,201
Speaker 1: the positive out of it is that you you are

1093
01:03:47,561 --> 01:03:52,441
Speaker 1: being able to uh, you're being able to to face

1094
01:03:52,521 --> 01:03:55,881
Speaker 1: the reality that, yes, this is happening. It is it

1095
01:03:55,961 --> 01:04:00,761
Speaker 1: is not normal. But again, we are hopeful, we have

1096
01:04:00,841 --> 01:04:04,201
Speaker 1: the faith that this is we will come out of.

1097
01:04:04,241 --> 01:04:07,601
Speaker 1: It is going to impact the economy, It is going

1098
01:04:07,641 --> 01:04:11,881
Speaker 1: to impact the lifestyle of a lot of people, including us.

1099
01:04:12,121 --> 01:04:14,041
Speaker 1: But it is what it is. You can't change it.

1100
01:04:14,361 --> 01:04:18,001
Speaker 2: You know, you only regrets for many of.

1101
01:04:17,961 --> 01:04:22,761
Speaker 1: These from two thousand and ten and eleven. Not really,

1102
01:04:23,321 --> 01:04:26,441
Speaker 1: I mean, I wouldn't call it a regret, But there

1103
01:04:26,441 --> 01:04:31,081
Speaker 1: are a few people who I really uh learned a

1104
01:04:31,121 --> 01:04:36,041
Speaker 1: lot from on on the ship before piracy and during piracy,

1105
01:04:36,161 --> 01:04:39,641
Speaker 1: and wasn't been able to stay in touch with them

1106
01:04:40,121 --> 01:04:44,201
Speaker 1: post that. I think that is that is one of

1107
01:04:45,521 --> 01:04:49,121
Speaker 1: that is one thing that I that I feel bad about,

1108
01:04:49,961 --> 01:04:55,201
Speaker 1: but otherwise no regrets, man, really no, it has made

1109
01:04:55,201 --> 01:04:56,121
Speaker 1: me a stronger man.

1110
01:04:57,721 --> 01:05:02,881
Speaker 2: Before before we go, describe yourself in one word, survivor.

1111
01:05:03,921 --> 01:05:05,561
Speaker 2: That was that was quick, was great that.

1112
01:05:09,241 --> 01:05:11,881
Speaker 1: I've been I've been asked, I've been asked this many

1113
01:05:11,881 --> 01:05:15,801
Speaker 1: a times. Trust me. And then that's that's what it

1114
01:05:15,961 --> 01:05:19,001
Speaker 1: just comes out automatically. There's there's there's nothing else that

1115
01:05:19,241 --> 01:05:20,961
Speaker 1: that I can I can see.

1116
01:05:21,761 --> 01:05:23,881
Speaker 2: Well, I want to. I want to say I'm massive

1117
01:05:23,921 --> 01:05:28,521
Speaker 2: thank you for coming on and your patience too with

1118
01:05:29,401 --> 01:05:33,401
Speaker 2: I was trying to do this, but you know what,

1119
01:05:33,481 --> 01:05:37,521
Speaker 2: It's been worth a while, love, and I'm very grateful

1120
01:05:37,561 --> 01:05:39,481
Speaker 2: that you did come on and pick my podcast to

1121
01:05:39,561 --> 01:05:40,361
Speaker 2: share your story with.

1122
01:05:41,201 --> 01:05:44,201
Speaker 1: Thank you very much, thank you, and uh, I'm glad

1123
01:05:44,481 --> 01:05:48,881
Speaker 1: that that you were so dedicated yourself to make this happen.

1124
01:05:49,641 --> 01:05:52,441
Speaker 2: You know, I wasn't going to miss out on this interview.

1125
01:05:52,481 --> 01:05:57,281
Speaker 1: I was, yeah, but but it's it's great you reached

1126
01:05:57,321 --> 01:06:00,681
Speaker 1: out and it was wonderful to to do this and

1127
01:06:00,721 --> 01:06:04,001
Speaker 1: have this conversation. And I wish you all the best

1128
01:06:04,161 --> 01:06:08,361
Speaker 1: for your future interviews and I hope you find as

1129
01:06:08,361 --> 01:06:11,561
Speaker 1: interesting or more interesting people as well. And then keep this,

1130
01:06:11,841 --> 01:06:21,201
Speaker 1: keep this thing going up upwards. M m m m

1131
01:06:21,561 --> 01:06:32,041
Speaker 1: m m m m yeah,