First published 24 years ago in 2001, Bubbles of Water is a Pakistan Navy reminiscence book written by Rear Admiral Mian Zahir Shah, who retired from service towards the close of the last millennium. The book comprises over 200 anecdotes and is arranged chronologically, spanning from pre-partition in 1942 until 1999.
The stories are not confined to Mian Zahir Shah’s own experiences. In fact, only 20 of the 212 anecdotes are his own account. The remaining 192 are drawn from interviews with distinguished figures, including JW Jefford, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Pakistan Navy; Haji Mohammed Siddiq Choudri, Pakistan Navy’s first native Commander-in-Chief; former ambassador and lieutenant Jamsheed KA Marker; ex-Commander-in-Chief Admiral Fasih Bokhari; and many other respected naval servicemen, both local and foreign.
The 2025 edition marks the second full annual assessment (following the first in 2024) and introduces a heightened sense of urgency. This year, the focus expands on oceans and, in particular, the newly breached boundary of ocean acidification, making it the seventh of nine planetary boundaries now considered crossed.
More than a recollection of fading memories, Bubbles of Water offers lessons in history, geography, and naval administration. It also captures culture, protocol, and the everyday human side of service.
The anecdotes cover a wide range of moments: Quaid-e-Azam’s tactful handling of a pre-partition mutiny in the Royal Indian Navy; an unexpected 21-gun salute to the Saudi monarch at Jeddah in 1953; Field Marshal Ayub Khan’s voyage aboard PNS Babur in 1963; the author’s claustrophobic submarine induction test in 1966; wartime rescues in 1971; and even the bureaucratic hurdles faced while planning a training cruise around Australia in the early 80s. Together, they chart a living history of the Pakistan Navy through a range of personal recollections.
What’s remarkable in this book are the many illustrations curated by the author.
What’s remarkable in this book are the many illustrations curated by the author. The illustrations are humorous and informative as required. Characters within illustrations express moods to become an extension to the writings of the author. In general, the style of art is comical, and the scope of representation is mesmerizing. You read the text and feel drawn into the story. And then, you see the illustration and feel the gravity of the situation.
About the writing style itself, take note of “the chamber test,” where the author describes the submarine induction trial. Mian Zahir Shah says, “We were packed like sardines seated inside along with an instructor, and the hatch was slammed shut on us and battened down. We had opened up the jaws of the beast and crawled into its stomach. All that remained was for it to anoint us with its digestive juices.” Vivid passages like this show his ability to mix humor with a strong sense of place and feeling.
Each story is short and crisp, delivering its message with clarity. Bubbles of Water will teach you about navy protocols, introduce you to the ranks, identify inter-national ports and harbors, speak about tech evolution in its time, share training culture from Britain, France and Turkey; take you through the war games, make you appreciate the marvels under sea; and if you are an engineer, Rear Admiral Mian Zahir Shah will make you think through the details.
The writer can be contacted: waqas.six4@outlook.com
