Poseidon

I have remained fascinated with the sea, ocean and pretty much all sorts of water bodies since a child and my interest is piqued when I hear any story about the mythologies surrounding the sea. The foundation for this was laid as a child when I visited the aquarium on Marine Drive. Housed in an art deco building, the aquarium seemed this magical place with all sorts of underwater creatures which mysteriously appeared from the nooks and crannies of the giant water tanks and then disappeared just as quickly.

Cruising on the MV Chidambaram from Chennai to Singapore, wading at Juhu beach, sailing on a Seabird or taking one of the ferries from Gateway of India brought me within a few feet of the grand expanse of the ocean.

Peering into the depths of the water, I would have these imaginary conversations with the sea, often assuming it was this massive male creature, with long flowing hair, a beard and eight arms. I always felt safe at sea, safe on the water and could not understand why people would be fearful of the water.

Growing up and meeting people from the Indian Navy gave me insights into how so many had dedicated their entire lives to protecting the country's maritime waters from invaders or excelled at sea in a sport.

Interestingly they all put Poseidon on a pedestal and had an enriching story to share about him. Each one's version was personal with an anecdote or story to back it up.

Recently when I saw the movie The Odyssey starring Matt Damon, the scene which depicted Poseidon had me sitting on the edge of my seat! An adaption of Homer's ancient Greek poem, it brought me face to face with the powers of Poseidon and his importance in maritime history.