Electrical Technology was beyond the realm of my knowledge. I could not distinguish between an earth & neutral. “Most people don’t know…” I justified, never feeling guilty of ignorance.
I was asked the trade of my choice by my division officer in basic training. “Electrical” I said. Kumbhkarana when asked for a boon bu lord Shiva had asked for long sleep. I am not alone in my league.
Actually nobody gets a choice …but I had been the boyPO (official ring leader) among the 200 young trainees.
It was not out of any fascination for a technical profession …I was told electricians worked the least. I could have gone with aviation but their scope (of travelling) was limited to the two aircraft carriers & a couple of aviation base.
Electrical meant any ship, anywhere …with least work… fascinating to the traveler …in me.
I for the first time muddled between Inductive & capacitive reactance at the Technical school. Applied mathematics was even unnerving …but I was undaunted & passed 1st division.
Jubilant on my first transfer armed with the knowledge numerous theories, technical specifications, principal of operation, working principals, (SOPs) standard operating procedures,… Onboard I met with reality. Having learnt all the complex formulas & theorems all I was doing were dishes. ‘How little of what we study is employed in jobs we do’…I wondered “what a fu_ _ waste…”One fine day (Sunday) I was asked by the old man (HOD) to go to sailing club for some bathymetry (water depth investigation) survey.
I was naive to the seemingly complex survey equipment setup. Srinivas asked me if I knew battery connections for power supply to the whole jumbled setup. “I don’t” I admitted inciting his scorn.
Two large 180 AH batteries lay in the corner. I laid the power cable with red & black leads clung to crocodile clips. “Be very careful while making connections” he said & I stirred my head in acquiescent.
He clasped the crocodile clips to the battery terminals. I was observant & intuitively felt it wrong when Srinivas connected the red lead to negative terminal.
Smoke with sparks spread out of the cable. “Run” Srinivas cried and fled.
The cable burning up emitted loops of smoke. Out of instinct I yanked the cable as the crocodile clips unfettered off the battery terminals.
“Batteries could have blasted. I had said run, didn’t you listen” Srinivas sneered. “Let me tell you” I was vociferous “Red is Positive”. He beseeched "Don’t mention this incident” .
“I won't until it mattered but ...mind it…” I said “half knowledge is the most dangerous”.
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