A Captain Who Led by Example
02, April 2007
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs…
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!
-- Rudyard Kipling
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| Capt. Gurvinder Singh |
Captain Gurvinder Singh had choices before he struggled for fifteen hours to rescue trapped seamen. The captain of "Prabhu Yuvika", an Indian merchant ship, Gurvinder spearheaded a rescue operation in turbulent waters off the coast of the Philippines on March 21.
"It was 3 am when we heard a distress message saying a cargo ship had sunk," says Gurvinder, speaking to Times City from Indonesia. "It was the call of duty as well as the right thing to do, so I took my ship right into the dark and dangerous waters to save as many crew members as possible."
Capt. Singh and his crew managed to rescue 11 of the 19-crew members of MV Unicorn Ace. "There were 14 of them in a life raft but we managed to save only 11. Two members slipped off the raft into the waters right in front of my eyes but I was helpless against the bad weather conditions and our limited resources," he says, recalling the 15-hour-long rescue operation. And if that was not enough, showing immense sensibility and character this ace merchant ship master passed on the message to other ships in the area, thereby ensuring the rescue of three more crew members.
A proud father Saranjit Singh said, “My son always had a sense of adventure and wanted to see the world. I didn't want him to go into the merchant navy but he was determined. Today I'm glad I didn't stop him from following his dreams.” Born and brought up in Delhi's (India) Gujranwala Town area, 32-year-old Gurvinder (Sonu to his family) has always been his mother's naughty boy. "He has always won hearts with his charm and honesty. We're all so proud of him," she says.
A product of Punjabi Bagh's Guru Harkrishan Public School, Gurvinder's friends and neighbours know him as a party lover with a hectic social life.
Behind every successful man is a woman and this saying came to a test when Capt. Singh’s wife Rupinder backed him in the rescue mission. Never one to stay home while her husband went sailing, Rupinder chose to accompany him on every voyage. Needless to say, the gutsy lady was by the captain's side when rough seas were battering his ship. "It is common to get hoax calls about sinking ships and I was in two minds about the one we received on the 21st," says Gurvinder. "At that time, my wife became the voice of my conscience and urged me to check out the situation. I admire her courage," he adds.
Did he feel a moment of fear before the actual rescue? "Of course I did," "It was dark, the sea was very rough and we had to do our best without losing any of our own men. But think of those on the life raft... I could have been on the other side of that nightmarish situation. It was not an easy task but God saw me through it," adds the captain.
A great believer, Gurvinder makes it a point to visit a gurdwara in every country. "He also cooks langar for the cadets and officers and celebrates Gurpurab on the ship," says his mother. "He's so people-friendly, you can't help but love him," said his jubilant kid sister Nancy and this aptly sums up the brave, Capt. Gurvinder Singh.
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