Standing at the harbour in Larnaca, Cyprus, I knew that my ship would sail, quite literally, if I didn’t do something, and fast. It was 2006, and the ship was the Indian naval warship INS Mumbai, which was heading to Beirut to evacuate Indians caught in the Israeli attack on Lebanon after Hezbollah captured soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces. The Indians there worked mainly as domestic staff, nurses and caregivers, and construction labourers, too poor to move out of the war zone on their own, and the Indian government decided to launch Operation Sukoon to rescue them. Since the Israeli forces had enforced a blockade, no planes could land at Beirut Airport, and the closest point, Larnaca, had to serve for Air India planes to land. Fortunately, INS Mumbai, along with frigates INS Brahmaputra, INS Betwa and fleet tanker INS Shakti, were around the Suez Canal when the Israeli airstrikes began, and were able to turn around to carry out what was essentially a “ferrying” operation between Beirut and Larnaca for about 2,300 people.
There was just one hitch, the commanding officer of INS Mumbai, Vice Admiral Anup Singh, explained: the ship that was heading to Lebanon had only men on board, and while they could take my cameraman, they couldn’t take me. Eventually, fighting back tears, I convinced him that I would be no problem, practically offering to be stowed away as cargo if necessary, so we could get into the conflict zone. Eventually, not only did they agree, the generosity of the officers on board overwhelmed me. Officers gave up their cabin, and others offered to escort me through the ship at all times. We covered the war and the evacuation operations, returning with the INS Mumbai as the men on board opened out their bunk areas and kitchens to thousands of men, women and children who came back with them.
While most today define ‘access’ in journalism in terms of whom you meet, the truth is that it is much more difficult to access the places where stories are unfolding. What is as important as the story that gets told is the story of how to get to that story: whether to Bhuj in 2000 (driving over broken roads), or to the Andaman islands after the 2004 tsunami (by pleading), or to conflict zones in Pakistan and Afghanistan (with Bollywood CDs as a bribe). Most often, journalists don’t just have to depend on their wit and charm, but on the kindness and generosity of strangers, like the wonderful men on the INS Mumbai.
