“What are you doing here, Priya?” asked the 30-something gentleman in a wetsuit, a few feet away from Priya Singh. On a boat in the middle of nowhere. It was a voice Priya would have known, even if the face that mumbled it was obscured. After all, it was her ex-boss. Chintan Shah, the man who stood beaming in front of her, had interviewed her long ago, for a stint in his PR start-up. Fresh out of MBA school, Priya had succumbed to his charm. And the promise of lucrative stock options and endless cheap coffee!
All that seemed a world away now. Out here in the sea off Elephant Beach in Havelock Island in the Andamans. It had only been a couple years that Priya had come to Havelock Island in desperate need of soul-searching. In the decade preceding that, she had made a name for herself in the PR industry. She had made so strong an impression that the firm’s top clients thought of her as family. Now, she revelled in knowing the strangers she met were people she would never see again.
I recently watched this documentary on Netflix, The Alpinist. This hauntingly evocative film takes us into the world of the talented Marc-Andre Leclerc, who climbs the most ‘unscalable’ mountains with his bare hands, sans support of any kind. What makes it even more beautiful is the fact that he is not doing it for money or fame or any of the other trappings of human existence. His girlfriend, who shares his love for climbing, is quick to point out that when Leclerc returns from the mountains, he is a “changed man”.
In the silence of the depths, she found music. All that came before had been noise
Right before the divers set off, Priya runs through the basics. She is the head instructor of the scuba diving company she owns in Havelock, called Immersive. One that organises bespoke dives for the discerning diver. At least that is what her company brochure says. Living in a studio apartment on this small island, she could not be happier. Only, she had to “wake up” to dream this dream…
Close to three years ago, Priya suffered from massive burnout. She did not have the strength to return to office. Weeks after she quit, Priya thought a (rather extended) whiff of fresh air might help. So off to Havelock she went, in search of surf and sun. That first dive off Elephant Island changed her life.
Close to three years ago, Priya suffered from massive burnout. She did not have the strength to return to office. Weeks after she quit, Priya thought a (rather extended) whiff of fresh air might help. So off to Havelock she went, in search of surf and sun. That first dive off Elephant Island changed her life. In the silence of the depths, she found music. All that came before had been noise. When her ex-boss returned from the dive, he seemed transformed, too. Not as much as she had been. But enough to take his words away.
Only a few hours later, Chintan and Priya were seated at a table at Shoreline, a restaurant at the Taj Exotica Resort and Spa on Havelock Island, where Chintan was staying. He had insisted she have coffee with him. She had surprised herself by saying yes. Moments into their conversation, Chintan asked Priya the inevitable, “Want to come back to work?”
Priya stifled a laugh. “I’m happy here,” she said. And she meant it. Her skin glowed, and it had nothing to do with the exorbitant Taj spa treatments. Then she asked Chintan, “Are you happy?”
“Me? Why shouldn’t I be? I have my own company…”
“So do I.” Priya used the solitary straw to absent-mindedly stir her coconut water. All the while knowing she was stirring a storm.
“Ah, but that’s different.” Chintan dismissed her with a wave of his hand. “We’re going to be listed soon, you know?”
“And then what?”
“What then what?”
“What next, after being listed?”
“Umm… then I shall eye retirement. Come to an island like this, dive all day…”
When we love what we do, it brings happiness to people in the most unexpected ways
The best mountains are the ones that have to be climbed, not moved
PixabayAs she walked away, Priya ruminated over the life she had bid adieu to yet again. Her love for diving was a metaphor for going within. Like The Alpinist, every dive seemed to change her. Chintan was leaving in a bit, too. He had a spa appointment. From the looks of it, Priya felt he could really use one.
I spent a good many years in marketing, before deciding to give it all away. I wanted to write a book, and have not looked back since. I was happy in my earlier job, but not fulfilled. I realise now that, in the end, success is realised in loving what you do. Loving your work for the sake of it.
That is not to say that money is not important, but it is not the thing our lives depend on. When we love what we do, it brings happiness to people in the most unexpected ways
That is not to say that money is not important, but it is not the thing our lives depend on. When we love what we do, it brings happiness to people in the most unexpected ways. What Chintan was trying to put into words after that dive, but could not, was a heartfelt “thank you”.
Leclerc, unfortunately, lost his life in an avalanche of snow. He did not lose his life doing what he loved, he gained one. More importantly, he made a difference to the girl he loved. And to this writer, years after he passed.
It’s kind of funny. The actual achievement doesn’t really change your life, like you think it might, but what you’re left with is the journey that got you to that point.
— Marc-Andre Leclerc
In a way, like Leclerc and Priya Singh, I have gone to the mountains and taken a deep dive. I have been changed.
People like Chintan are everywhere. They constantly want more, usually for a happiness that is self-serving. While the likes of Priya want to help others go within, too. To dig deeper into their sense of being. Without a spa appointment, of course! Getting out of your comfort zone is difficult, but it might lead to a sense of fulfilment you never had before.
Faith can move mountains, they say. But the best mountains are the ones that have to be climbed, not moved. The last words Priya uttered to Chintan, were the following:
“Land rules don’t apply to my world, Chintan. Things like fame and money have no value on the seafloor.” Then, she added, as though it were an afterthought: “Oxygen. Oxygen does. That thing we take for granted.”
Rohit Trilokekar is a novelist from Mumbai who flirts with the idea of what it means to love. His heart’s compass swerves ever so often towards Kolkata, the city he believes has the most discerning literary audience.
