Life of a young Sailor
Agha Iqrar Haroon
Being a travel writer I always keep my eyes and ear open while sitting in any café, metro stop, bus stops, airport waiting areas and keep talking and understanding people of different cultures. My this quest helps me to find faces I can share with my readers.
My first meeting with a young boy from India Mujeeb Ahmed Farooqui took place in a smoking area of a hotel. He belongs to Allahabad India and I had some personal touch of feelings with Allahabad as my father before partition of both countries was living in Delhi and used to travel and spent summer vacations in this city.
I asked Farooqui to tell me more about today’s Allahabad and he started telling me about his city, food, festivals of Allahabad and I kept listening him and watching is sharp eyes and could feel I am eating Guavas of Allahabad when he was telling how much they are tasty and colourful.
Farooqui is a symbol of Indian youth travelling around the world in search of better future. He finished his schooling from same institution where Amitabh Bacchan did his matriculation that is Boys High School and College Allahabad near Civil Lines area. When he was in high school he had a dream to see the world so he started to find the way how it could be possible for him and then he found that sailing is the best profession for him to make his dreams come true.
I asked him what he feels when is sailing deep blue sea for weeks and months, he said, “when you are standing at a dock—you feel you are the best on earth and this feeling makes you happy and is important to stay in waters for months and for years without visiting home”.
He feels different and thinks sea has its own world and this world is cleaner than world on soil and mountains.
He is a keen reader of books and reads about their cultures, societies and destinations. He has four brothers and three sisters and he remembers his mother and sisters while sailing in the sea and wish to go home and eat Chicken Masala made by his mother.
He informed me that induction in Merchant Navy in India has a simple process and one can go for examinations of International Maritime University. This is a government organisation Cheenai. He got one year training from International Maritime Institute Delhi
He started his first sail from Sudan to Egypt and these six days were a new life for him. In one year, he has seen 12 countries and this is just beginning of his career and life in sea. Mujeeb Ahmed Farooqui is a symbol of Indian youth and believes that Indian youth must play its positive role everywhere in the world and this world is endless with endless opportunities awaiting young people.
His father is in Indian Northern Railway and travel and transport is in the blood of Farooqi.
