Diving in the World Ocean

My wish to visit the Bombay High oil drilling site was granted in April 1995. The drilling site is located about 200 km away from the seashore and it takes almost an hour to reach there by a helicopter. The visit was well arranged and I enjoyed it immensely. From the engineering point of view, the whole operation is amazing. The fixation of the drilling rigs and platforms is an engineering feat. The foundations of these structures are very deep in order to keep them stable. During the visit I met some engineers who had worked there in the initial days of construction and they narrated their experiences with great pride, expressing the thrill of achievement. They also told me that the foundation construction of these structures was the most difficult stage and to carry out this task, expert divers were called from other countries. Subsequently, the art of diving has been sufficiently

developed in India too. 

We also discussed the techniques of diving. I was told that deep-sea diving was a difficult job and a good amount of training was required for it. As the pressure of water increases when the diver goes down into the depths of the sea, he has to take measures to withstand the stress. The deeper the diver goes, the greater is the pressure. In earlier days, the training process took a long time as the divers were subjected to gradually increasing pressure before they could venture deep into the sea.

Now, there are special equipments which create sea conditions artificially and the process of training is expedited. However, the principle of training remains the same, which is to create enough internal resistance or pressure to withstand the external pressure. If the diver does not do this, his body could collapse. I have drawn some very interesting inferences from this fact.

The world we live in is also like a sea. The deeper we go into it, the greater are the disturbing forces we have to face. If we are not trained or used to bear these pressures, we collapse and fail to achieve the goal of our existence. In that case, we sink and then blame the world for it. We forget the nature of the world and the fact that there is no use blaming external circumstances. We should, on the other hand, train ourselves to withstand the pressures of the world. For this, we have to develop enough internal strength so that the two neutralise each other and we are able to dive into this worldly sea like professional divers. If we remember this, we shall not only perform our roles well but will enjoy life too.

What does this mean in real life? It means that one’s development should be integrated. While it is desirable to have external growth, it may turn out to be disastrous if it is not matched by a corresponding internal growth. The greater the external growth, the greater is the need for internal growth too. That is why people with high positions, greater riches, greater fame, or power should be much more balanced than ordinary persons. If they are not so, the outer trappings may become the cause of their disaster. The conclusion is that a balanced growth of personality makes us good divers, plunging confidently into this worldly sea. The world will then cease to be a source of danger or trouble for us and we can enjoy living in it, as well as perform our duties well.

Rakesh Mittal IAS

*A man of wisdom lives in the world but the world does not live in him.

*How things look on the outside of us depends on how things are on the inside of us.