Beetashok was a captain in the Merchant Navy for more than 30 years and retired only a couple of years ago. This old sea dog is now a full time writer, and is a published author of two collections of short stories, Driftwood—stories washed ashore (2019) and The People Tree—stories about us and them (2021). Here he chats with me about himself and his work.
Beetashok on the Web:Facebook * Twitter * Instagram
Happy New Year! Tell us something about yourself. From a sailor man to a storyteller, what was the journey like? How did it all begin?
Happy New Year to you too! I’ve always loved writing, you know. In school, I was generally the favourite of my English teachers, much to the dismay of my classmates, for always doing well in the subject—especially anything that involved creative writing. I’ve dreamed of becoming a published author ever since I can remember.
My sea career was only by accident—a stroke of serendipity; however, I grew to love the sea. For years—no, decades!-- the only ‘creative’ writing I did as an officer and later as a ship’s captain was to send carefully worded reports and emails to my Head Office in order to stay out of trouble. It was just 8~10 years ago that I started writing again. I began with poems, mainly about the sea. Then about 6 years ago, I ventured into short stories.
Driftwood is a collection of entertaining and thoughtful stories of and about sailors. Tell us Beetashok, does the ocean play a catalyst in your creativity?
Thank you for saying that. If you found it entertaining and thoughtful, then it looks like I have succeeded in my objective. Yes, that was the plan.The ocean is a beautiful, tempestuous, vast source of inspiration. To see it in all its moods and colours according to the time of the day, season or the state of weather over the last so many years awakened the poet and writer in me. Moreover, the long voyages across the oceans gave me the time and peace of mind to organize my thoughts, draw from my experiences and those of others, form coherent storylines and put them on paper. Yes, the ocean was a catalyst to my creativity for my first book Driftwood.
Had you ever thought that as a sailor you would be writing a book on sea adventures one day?
Always. I’ve always believed that our stories need to be told, because our adventures and experiences are unique. Right from the late 1970s, as a young officer in the Merchant Navy, I began keeping a journal, jotting down random thoughts and experiences. I knew I would write a book someday on sea adventures when I got the time. Driftwood happened as a result in 2019. Rather late in life; but it’s never too late, I always say.Are these the stories of my experiences? Possibly. Are these stories based on the tales I have heard? Maybe. The truth is that the stories in Driftwood are all a seamless blend of fact and fiction, and even I do not remember where one ends and the other begins.
There is a general perception about merchant sailors leading reckless and flashy lifestyles, being womanizers too. Is that correct?
You forgot to mention drunkards, liars and losers—yes, all of the above!But seriously, those days are gone. If it was true once, it is no longer so. International regulations and the demands of the job have put paid to all their freedom and fun. They have become so stringent that it is now survival of the fittest. One has to toe the line if one wants to keep one’s job. Most shipping companies do not allow any alcohol on board for the crew nowadays. Thanks to 9/11, shore leave is severely restricted in most countries. There is CCTV camera in the public spaces on board most ships, from where Big Brother in the Head Office can watch you live. The seaman of today is straitjacketed, walks with blinkers on and lives in fear.
I am fortunate to have seen some of the ‘good, old days’—those days which inspired so many ‘ripping good yarns’ in literature and Hollywood movies. (Sadly, Bollywood has taken no interest in sea life—Salman Khan as a Merchant Navy officer in ‘Bharat’ doing dance moves atop the cargo hold of a ship is testimony of this.) I came out to sea in the 70s. It was pretty wild then, pretty tame now. I can only imagine what it must have been like before my time in the 50s and 60s!
You have authored two books so far, ‘Driftwood—stories washed ashore’, and ‘The People Tree—stories about us and them.’ How are the two books different?
Three, actually. I contributed to a Lockdown essay collection called The Phoenix Rises in 2020.Driftwood is a collection of sea stories. That is, the stories are set at sea or the protagonist is or was a seaman. But these stories of the sea and of modern seafarers are not necessarily for seafarers alone. They were written for anybody and everybody who likes to read fiction—tales of adventure, love, romance, piracy, intrigue... and human nature.
There is not a whiff of the sea in The People Tree. For want of a better word, these are ‘land’ stories—stories of ordinary people like you and me with extraordinary experiences. Trying to keep each story as different from the other in style and substance, I have covered a gamut of topics—from the Khalistan insurgency in Punjab in the 80s to a glimpse of the Mumbai underworld. From a doomed love affair in Hyderabad to a mature gay relationship. From a lifelong friendship formed in the most unusual circumstances to the pangs of a schoolboy crush. Travelling to distant lands, I have written about the greatest manmade disaster the world has ever seen. While at it, I’ve even taken the liberty to rob an art museum in London. My foray into historical children’s fiction has taken me to rural Maharashtra in the 17th century. Enough variety, I hope?
There’s the peepal tree or ‘The Tree of Life’ as we know it. And there’s your title ‘The People Tree’. The title is indeed catchy and the book cover attractive. Tell us about that.
Thank you. Not many got the pun, unfortunately. I have welcomed the reader to sit in the shade of The People Tree to taste the fruit from my Tree of Life. In this case, the fruit hanging is the cluster of characters he or she will find in each of the 14 stories. This is also depicted in the cover of the book if one examines it closely.I can’t take any credit for the cover. That must go to my publisher Readomania. I too find it very attractive. The publisher gave me several options, and I chose this one.
In ‘The People Tree’ you have picked heterogeneous characters from different walks and shades of life. You have captured quite a lot of history as well. We get a glimpse of Shivaji, the 9/11 attack, the Khalistan insurgency. Which one is your personal favourite story from the book?
Yes, I’ve tried to make each story different from the other in style and substance so that they all remain distinctive in the reader’s mind, not just a blur of forgettable tales. That was the intention anyway. I have several favourites, but if I have to choose one, it’d be the last one—on the teenage heartbreak. The one where an unusual friendship is formed in London among a Bengali gentleman and two Brits is a close second. The 9/11 story would be third.Tell us about the writing process you adopt. Does writing come to you effortlessly? Do you have family members too who are interested in writing?
Effortlessly? I wish. No, it is hard work. Writing, re-reading, editing, rewriting the whole thing...to me, they’re all part of the process. I envy writers who find it effortless. It takes me about a month to complete a short story after the idea has taken root. That’s why I don’t enter short story competitions among other reasons—the deadline gives me stress. To send a short story scribbled in a hurry and then wish you’d worded this or that differently, or had a different beginning or end...no, I wouldn’t like that.My brother Upamanyu is a famous writer with a cult following. He has received the Sahitya Akademi Award as well as the Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government. His first book English August was made into a film starring Rahul Bose. He’s in the big league and I’m very proud of him. No other family member writes. My son is a professional editor and literary agent, though.
You also write poetry. Do you consider yourself to be more of a poet or a storyteller? Do you plan to publish your poetry soon?
Storyteller, though I started my creative writing with poetry. My main source of inspiration as a sea captain was, of course, the sea. Therefore I wrote only sea poems in different styles of rhyme and meter—so that they could be converted into songs. Several were, by my musically inclined colleagues. After writing more than 40 sea poems, I decided to try my hand at short story writing. This was about 6 years ago. Besides these two books, I’ve completed another collection of a dozen sea stories and am hoping they get published next year.Unfortunately, there is no market for poems. So no publisher that I’ve approached is interested. Of course, self publishing my poems is an option. Maybe I’ll do that. I’ll need to write a few more to make it a round 50 though.
What next, Beetashok? Where do you go from here?
After poems and short stories, I’m now trying to expand my horizons and have been working on a nonfiction full length book. It’s almost complete. It’s about—no prizes for guessing—ships and shipping misadventures throughout history. It is aimed at the non-seafarer; therefore not too technical.I have a regular blog site ‘Out of My Mind’ where I never hesitate to give my views on life in general to anyone who cares to visit. A full length novel—probably a murder mystery—is on my bucket list once I manage to get my nonfiction book and next collection of sea stories published and in bookstores.
Enough to keep me occupied for the next few years. A good reason to get up every morning and count my blessings.
Thank you, Beetashok. Good luck for the future.
Thank you for inviting me to share my thoughts.
When was the last time you read some modern sea stories—stories of ships and the seafarers who man them? Tales of adventure, love, romance, piracy, intrigue. And human nature? Well, look no further. These are twelve stories of the sea, but not necessarily for seafarers alone. They are for anybody and everybody who likes to read fiction. And a ripping good yarn, as Sailors used to say once upon a time. Written by a sea Captain who has spent his entire adult life at sea, more than forty years on the waves and still counting, these are stories set in the 70s, 80s up till the present day. Will you come aboard now? The voyage is about to begin.
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Do you want to read stories that will take you to places all over this country and to faraway lands? Do you also want to read stories that will take you back in time—decades, even centuries? Then you must taste the fruit of The People Tree. Here are fourteen stories for you, a veritable potpourri of tales, each different from the other in style and substance. From the Khalistan insurgency in Punjab to a glimpse of the Mumbai underworld. From a doomed love affair in Hyderabad to a mature gay relationship. From a lifelong friendship formed in unusual circumstances to the pangs of a schoolboy crush to robbing an art museum there is something in this collection for everybody. And more. Love, loss, survival, lust, deception, greed Beetashok Chatterjee has covered them all. And more.
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