Malaysia

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"War broke out. His jaw tightens… his body's cellular memory recollects the trauma. Cautiously, I urge him to describe what he remembers. He shakes his head, with a sound of deep regret, and there is silence for a good half-minute. He is forming the words he wants to say, to manage his emotions. The humanist, compassionate side of my father comes to the fore…"

'Inner Anchorage' takes you on a journey from a one-room flat in Bombay's crowded Dongri in the 1940s to the high seas of a seaman's quest for adventure through many voyages and migrations, all along holding onto an unshakeable faith in Divine Providence. Witnessing the chaos of the Great Partition in 1947, wars and apartheid of the last century, Captain Ismail Mukri faces many storms both at sea and in life. While life often forces us to succumb to societal pressures, this seaman stays his ground remaining resilient and principled. An inspirational account of his life journey as a Ship's Captain, a Teacher, a Mentor, a Friend while navigating his role as a father and husband to his family. This is a story, lovingly researched and written by his daughter, of a man who contributed significantly to the maritime academies of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Singapore.



"Honesty, discipline and kindness are values that guided Capt. Mukri throughout his life as a Captain and later as a teacher. This book is a lovely testament to his living out these values and to the dedication, perseverance and faith of a man gentle in spirit yet stout in demeanor. Although out at sea for years, Capt. Mukri was firmly rooted in the soil of his culture and tradition. Farheen Mukri faithfully captures this rootedness as she describes her father's resilient nature in the face of life's challenges. From her account, we learn about a life of never giving up, the need to have hope in the divine, letting reality be reality, and the courage to let the course of life roll and unfold." 

— Dr. Syed Farid Alatas, Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, National University of Singapore