Daily Times

Seas are very deep and carry only God knows how many treasures and secrets in their depths. In every language of the world, in poetry and in prose, we find very frequent references to the sea. Similarly, in the paintings of famous artists, sea or sea life is depicted in one form or the other.

In 1902, John Masefield penned down one of the most famous and popular poems on sea entitled “Sea Fever”, which instantly won the hearts and souls of those directly or indirectly associated with sea. Masefield being a seafarer himself could hear the call of the sea to be a gift to all sea lovers in the form ofSea Fever.He wrote: “I must go down to the seas, to the lonely sea and the sky/And all I ask is tall ship and a star to steer her by/And a wheel’s kick and a wind’s song and the white sail shaking/And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and the grey dawn breaking.”

Masefield calls the sea life a “vagrant gypsy life,” a life though lonely and solitary but full of adventures and challenges. Once one gets away from sea, it calls you back. In the words of Masefield: “It’s a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied.” It is a call that attracts like a sweet melody.

It was not only poets and prose writers who heard the call of the sea; renowned paintersalso responded to the mysterious call. They painted and drew the sea in numerous forms,sometimes showing it wild, sometimes calm and quiet. Sea or sea creatures also find their way in literature for children; mermaid is one such character with which every child is familiar.

A mermaid has the face of a beautiful girl and the lower body of a fish. In Urdu literature, sea carriesa very specificplace. It is in the poetry of Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi.

Only a seafarer understands the adventures and dangers of the sea. The sea is beautiful, romantic and exotic, but at the same time,it is cruel, fierce and grim. But poets and writers love to refer to seas in a most affectionate expression. In Urdu poetry,a beloved’s eyes are frequently described to be as ‘deep as sea’. Faiz Ahmed Faiz, one ofthe greatest Urdu poets of the last century, alsoused sea in the context of a beloved’s eyes.

The sea has been a topic in films around the globe. In the background of the sea and sea life, marvellous, award-winning movies like Jaws, Titanic, Mutiny on the Bounty, The PoseidonAdventure,Swiss Family Robinson, to name the few, were made. Pakistani film producers and directors also made movies revolving around the sea; one such movie Samandar (1968) was a box office hit. The most versatile and popular star, Waheed Murad, played the lead role. “Tera Mera Sathi Hai Lehrata Samandur” sung by Ahmed Rushdi and Masood Rana became one of the most popular songs of its time. Young people used to visit the Karachi seashore, loudly singing that song, wading into the sea,copying the style of Murad, notably his very different hairstyle.

Only a seafarer understands the adventures and dangers of the sea. The sea is beautiful, romantic and exotic, but at the same time, it is cruel, fierce and grim

It is also true of the small screen; in many TV serials, we find lovely sights of sea. If the lead role is mournful, he/she moves to the seaside to find solace. It is also the sea to which the characters go to mark the happy moments of life.

The role of the sea in our life is multidimensional. Its very unique character attracted poets to make use of its characteristics and traits in their poetry, and the prose writers made an appropriate use of the peculiarities of the sea as a subject of their stories.

Mystic poets and Sufis have also referred to sea in their work. Sultan Bahu referred to the depth of the sea,and superbly explained the depth of heart that in his mind is deeper than the sea.

Sea or the incidents or stories related to sea are found in almost every religion. In Hindu mythology, seas carry a significant role. A sea is called sagar in Hindi; we frequently find the word sagarin Urdu and Hindi poetry. A very popular Bollywood song from the film Sagar “Sagar Jaisi Aankhoon Wali Yeh Toh Bata Tera Naam Hai Kya”, sung by Kishor Kumar, was an instant hit, and is even popular today with lovers referring to the eyes of their beloved as sagar. Varuna is the god of oceans in the Hindu mythology; it is depicted as a fourhanded godriding a vehicle that is part-sea and part-land creature. In Greek mythology,Amphitrite is the goddess of sea, wife of god Poseidon. The Hollywood film, The Poseidon Adventure was named after the god Poseidon.

In Judaism, Christianity and Islam we find references of seas. The story of Prophet Musa-Moses (pbuh) crossing the sea along with his followers by striking his stick on the sea that parted in two parts thus providing safe passage to him and his followers while the Pharaoh and his army drowning in the same sea is found in the three major religions of the world.

There are many mysteries attached with seas such as the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. It is one of the most challenging, unresolved mysteries of the world, and a lot has been written on it. Filmmakers have produced different versions of this mysterious triangle.

The sea has fascinated the mankind right from the evolution of human beings and will always bea subject of art and literature.

The writer is a former marine engineer, and is presently working at a private organisation