Six women naval officers from the Indian Navy recently completed a mission to circumnavigate the world on a navy yacht - the INSV Tarini, covering over 22000 nautical miles to complete during their voyage.
Officers Lt Commander Vartika Joshi (skipper), Lt Commander Pratibha Jamwal, Lt Commander Swati P, Lieutenant Aishwarya Boddapati, Lieutenant S Vijaya Devi and Lieutenant Payal Gupta completed their mission in 254 days with 199 days spent at the sea.
Their mission was called 'Navika Sagar Parikrama' and commenced from Goa on 10th September 2017, returning there on 21st May 2018.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Meets All-Woman Crew Of INSV Tarini Source: Vipin Kumar-Hindustan Times via Getty images
The crew only stopped over at five ports in their entire journey including Fremantle in Australia, Lyttelton in New Zealand, Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, Cape Town in South Africa and Mauritius. The INSV Tarini is an Indian made boat and was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 18th February 2018.
Lt Commander Pratibha Jamwal, from Himachal Pradesh, told SBS Hindi "In Himachal, we mostly knew about the army. During the Kargil war, we use to see army trucks and you get inspired in such an atmosphere, to join the defence forces," she said.
Source: Indian Navy Twitter @indiannavy
"Since Himachal is a landlocked area I didn't know much about the Navy but eventually when I was in college, the Indian Navy came to our campus and they showed us presentations about a career in the Navy. I liked that and I pursued it. I am very happy that I joined the Navy. It's not just a very good career it's a very satisfying job as well."
Lt Commander Jamwal also emphasized that one's capabilities and abilities are not determined by gender but by oneself.
"Nature does not discriminate, the sun has never shone brighter on someone because they were a boy neither has it rained more on someone because they were a girl, so remove such small thoughts from your mind, don't let your gender become your identity, don't let your gender define you", she said.
Lt Commander Swati P, from Andhra Pradesh, told SBS Hindi "As inspiring as this is for others, this was also inspiring for all of us because some of the qualities that we developed while we sailed have also helped us become better at a personal level.
Source: Indian Navy Twitter @indiannavy
"For example how to control your anger and when there is a panic situation how to cool down and think because it can be very dangerous otherwise. Say if there is an emergency on the boat and you are panicking before resolving the issue on the boat then you will make more mistakes. It was a kind of a personal development for all the six of us throughout those eight months."
Lieutenant S Vijaya Devi, who hails from Manipur, said her inspiration came from television.
"When I was a kid I used to watch serials like Aarohan and Sea Hawks and so I had a lot of interest in joining the Navy but didn't think that I would actually join it. I wanted to go into active services but later on after post graduation in literature when I got this opportunity I applied for it. My experience with the navy has been good as it's only because of the navy that I have been able to travel the world and sail in the oceans."
The three crew members also shared their most memorable experiences from this voyage.
"When we left Australia towards New Zealand, " Lt S Vijaya Dev said, "we saw the aurora, the southern light which is considered very lucky and you can see it very rarely."
Chai and pakodas
Lt Commander Swati P remembers the bonding over 'chai and pakodas'.
"When the sea was normal we use to make chai and pakodas and sit outside just like a family does and we use to sing songs and play antakshari. We shared each other's sorrow, love, and happiness."
However, it was one morning after a big storm that Lt Commander Pratibha Jamwal remembers.
"One moment that stands out was when we were going to reach the Falkland Islands. We faced a storm throughout the night. It was very cold and it was raining continuously and it was very windy. When the storm started subsiding and then the next day, when morning came and the sun came out, that sight was very beautiful. That feeling that we came out of a very big storm without failure, that thought was very inspiring."
Source: Indian Navy Twitter @indiannavy
