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Indian Express
5 days ago
- Indian Express
‘7 lives in 8 months': Two women Navy officers brave navigation blackout, 20-foot waves, unforgiving cold in historic voyage around globe
'Yes, we made it,' beamed Lieutenant Commander Dilna K. 'I feel I have lived all my seven lives in these eight months,' said her fellow crew member, Lieutenant Commander Roopa A. With these words, the two women officers of the Indian Navy sailed into Goa's Mormugao port aboard INSV Tarini on Thursday evening, etching their names in history. After sailing for 239 days and covering 25,600 nautical miles across four continents, three oceans and three Great Capes, the sailors have become the first Indian duo to circumnavigate the globe without external assistance and relying solely on wind power. 'On October 2, we left Goa with a lot of hope and courage. Today, we stand here alive and strong together,' said Lt Cdr Dilna. The expedition was a promise she made to her father. 'He is no more with me, but his presence was felt throughout the journey,' she said. The officers recalled how, 'in the dead of a night', when they were trying to steer clear of a cyclone, they had a 'complete navigation panel blackout' in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 'We lost the GPS, boat heading, wind instrument, autopilot… It took us three hours, but it felt like an eternity to get the systems back under control,' said Lt Cdr Roopa. 'We saw the ocean and waves raging in anger on some days, with waves as high as 20 feet tall hitting us like a wall. But we also had days when the sea was as calm as a mirror… And we lived through all of this in unforgiving cold, which almost froze us. The world of the sea… it's the same planet, but a whole different world out there. I have seen the sea glow at night, the sky filled with galaxies, shooting stars and sheer darkness that brings the mind and body to peace,' she said. During the voyage, the crew recounted facing winds up to 50 knots and stormy weather as they navigated through the treacherous Drake Passage and rounded Cape Horn. The third leg of the journey from Lyttleton to Port Stanley was especially arduous. 'There are rarely any records of someone being at the exact coordinates of Point Nemo — the ocean's remotest location from any land, where the closest humans are in the space station. Well, it's not so remote anymore for us Indians. Then, there was Drake Passage and rounding Cape Horn — the Everest of every sailor, and also their nightmare. Halfway around the world, the sea humbled us and made us students again,' said Dilna. Speaking at the flag-in ceremony of INSV Tarini, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the two officers for their courage, commitment and endurance in completing the historic circumnavigation expedition, and termed their voyage the epitome of nari shakti. Singh also mentioned Operation Sindoor. 'The women pilots and other women soldiers played a crucial role in the effective action taken by India against terrorism in Pakistan and PoK during Operation Sindoor,' he said. The Defence Minister said that ever since the participation of women in the armed forces has increased, they have performed exceptionally well in every role and fulfilled every responsibility. 'From the heights of Siachen to the depths of the ocean, Indian women are fulfilling many responsibilities, which has further bolstered the security circle of the country. Today, the doors of Sainik Schools are open for girls, and 17 women are passing out from the National Defence Academy this month,' Singh said. The expedition was flagged off from INS Mandovi in Goa on October 2, 2024, as part of the second edition of Navika Sagar Parikrama.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Battling waves and time, Dilna & Roopa 1st Indian duo to sail into record books
Panaji: At 5.22pm on Thursday, as Lt Cdrs Dilna K and Roopa Alagirisamy stepped on the Indian soil after a 239-day historic voyage, they became the first-ever Indian duo to sail across the planet. 'Yes. We made it.' These four words from Dilna summed up the poignant and emotional 25,400-nautical-mile journey that began on October 2 from the banks of the Mandovi. 'We saw the ocean and waves rising in anger some days. The waves were as high as 20-feet-tall, looking like a wall. But we also had days when the sea was as calm as a mirror, and the sea felt heavenly, and time felt meaningless,' said Roopa, narrating their audacious endeavour to fly the Tricolour and naval ensign 'in every sea and land across the world'. 'With this journey, we joined a special group of people who went around the planet, and we haven't come across another two women who have done a double-handed circumnavigation. Halfway around the world, the sea humbled us and made us students again. This journey showed the entire world what Indian women are made of,' said Dilna. The circumnavigation took them through four oceans, crossing the equator twice and rounding the three great capes — a route acknowledged globally as the gold standard in ocean sailing. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Shubh Aarambh with Honda Shine 125! Honda Learn More Undo The mission was part of the Navy's broader initiative to showcase women's role in maritime operations. It also aimed to inspire a new generation of women to embrace adventure and take to the seas — a domain long dominated by men. 'I feel I lived all my seven lives in these eight months. This is not going to be my last journey, I am sorry,' said Roopa with a laugh, as she addressed her family. The voyage tested not just mental endurance but seamanship too. The naval officers navigated some of the world's most treacherous waters, including the South Pacific and the Southern Ocean. They battled towering waves, gale-force winds, and long spells of isolation with only each other for company and their 56-foot yacht as their shelter. During the circumnavigation, the duo suffered a complete navigation blackout in the middle of the night in the Pacific Ocean. 'We lost GPS, boat heading, wind instrument, auto-pilot —everything. It took us three hours, but it felt like an eternity to get back the systems. This actually gave us a false sense of security in modern equipment,' said Roopa. The duo covered 25,400 nautical miles over a period of eight months with port calls at Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falkland Islands), and Cape Town (South Africa). Commander Abhilash Tomy (retd), the first Indian to sail around the Earth non-stop, provided mentorship to the duo. His survival and maintenance experience helped the duo master the critical skill of dual-handed sailing. Captain Vipul Mehershi, Captain Atul Sinha, and Commander Nikhil Hegde also played a key role in preparing the women officers and the vessel for the expedition. The two naval officers' triumphant return at Mormugao Port was witnessed by defence minister Rajnath Singh and chief of naval staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- New Indian Express
Joy of 10: The tale of two women naval officers and their journey around the world
On May 23, 2023, a white sail appeared on the horizon off the coast of Goa. Had it been a century ago, the bastions of Fort Aguada and Reis Magos, perched on the cliffs overlooking the bay, might have roared to life and fired upon the approaching vessel. But on that balmy afternoon, the yacht was met with a no-less thunderous applause from the Boat Pool of INS Mandovi, the Indian Navy's premier training establishment. The vessel was none other than the much-awaited INSV Tarini, a 55-foot indigenously built cruising sloop inducted into naval service in 2017. Having already participated in several iconic expeditions, Tarini was now returning from a 188-day-long transoceanic and intercontinental voyage — from Goa to Cape Town in South Africa, on to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and back. At the Rio checkpoint, four of Tarini's six-member crew were rotated out. The two who remained through the entirety of the 17,000-nautical-mile journey were Lieutenant Commanders Dilna K, from Kozhikode in Kerala, and Roopa Alagirisamy from Puducherry. Their continued presence on board made perfect sense when, during the flag-in ceremony — presided over by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani and Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant — it was announced that these two officers, the only women on the crew, were the Navy's probable picks for its most ambitious sailing mission yet: a solo circumnavigation of the globe. A Navy officer later confirmed the voyage was a preparatory run for that mission. "Interestingly, the distance from Goa to Cape Town is twice that of the race itself. So both the women officers had ample time at sea to get used to the conditions," he said. Indeed, the voyage proved transformative. "The Dilna who came on the yacht today is not the same who left nearly seven months ago," Lt Cdr Dilna told The New Indian Express. "Now I'm more confident on the boat. What made it possible was the support I got from everyone, especially the crew."
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
From hills to high seas: Two women, One global voyage
As a child, Lt Commander Dilna K feared heights. Today, she scales the 25-metre mast of INSV Tarini in open waters. In Puducherry, another family looks on with quiet pride as Lt Commander Roopa Alagirisamy returns from the sea—once a girl with dreams of the stars, now a sailor who has circled the globe. On Thursday evening, the two naval officers will sail into Mormugao Port, concluding an eight-month voyage that covered 25,400 nautical miles, four oceans, and three Great Capes—a milestone few have attempted, and fewer have completed. Though raised on opposite sides of the Anaimalai Hills, Dilna and Roopa share a drive shaped by early challenges and an unwillingness to give in. Dilna, who lost her Army father in 2015, promised him she would represent India. She brings that promise home now. 'She found her passion for rifle shooting in NCC and became a national shooter,' recalled her sister Deepthi. "She would travel from Kozhikode to Idukki almost every two weeks to train, compromising on equipment and coaching. She used to pull out 100 buckets of water from our well daily to build muscle and climbed coconut trees to develop agility—even though she was scared of heights.' Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 Most Beautiful Female Athletes in the World Click Here Undo Roopa's path, too, was forged through persistence. Trained as an aeronautical engineer, she once worked at the National Aerospace Laboratories in Bengaluru before joining the Navy after multiple attempts at the Services Selection Board. 'She didn't want a regular job,' said her sister Durga Monica. 'She wanted to do something different—inspect weapons, sail, surf, jump from heights. She never told us she had volunteered for the circumnavigation . We found out later.' Commissioned in 2017, Roopa served at the Naval Armament Inspection division in Mumbai. It was there she was introduced to sailing, first in dinghies, later in competitive ocean sailing. Live Events The voyage on INSV Tarini is a continuation of the journey first led by the all-women crew in 2018. In 2024, Dilna and Roopa charted their own course—two lives shaped by discipline, loss, resilience, and the open sea. (With TOI inputs)
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
A voyage of grit: From riding bikes and surfboards to becoming circumnavigators
Panaji: As a child, Dilna K was afraid of heights. Today, she climbs the INSV Tarini's 25-meter-high mast in the middle of the ocean. In Puducherry, another family watches with similar awe as Roopa Alagirisamy, once a girl with dreams of space, returns after conquering the world's oceans. The two naval officers — Lt Commanders Dilna K and Roopa Alagirisamy — will sail into Mormugao Port on Thursday evening, marking the end of a historic, eight-month-long voyage. Their journey covered 25,400 nautical miles, crossing four oceans and rounding the three Great Capes — a feat attempted by few, and achieved by even fewer. Though they grew up on opposite sides of the Anaimalai Hills, what binds them is a relentless grit — a refusal to accept ceilings, whether on land or at sea. From the age of 10, Dilna was never one to be found indoors. While other children studied for tests, she was outdoors — wielding a cricket bat with the boys from her colony or chasing football down dusty lanes. 'She found her passion for rifle shooting in NCC and became a national shooter. Shooting is expensive, she always had to compromise on training and good equipment. I remember her travelling from Kozhikode to Idukki almost every two weeks to practice at a good range,' Dilna's sister Deepthi said. Before her father, an Army man, passed away in 2015, Dilna made a promise that she would represent India at the international level. On Thursday, as Tarini sails into Mormugao Port, she brings that promise home. Dilna has always been a daddy's girl and still rides her father's old Royal Enfield as an ode to him. 'She used to pull out 100 buckets of water per day from our well as a young girl to build up her muscles and we used to make fun of her. She would climb coconut trees at home to develop agility, even though she was scared of heights,' said Deepthi. Like Dilna, Roopa's journey was shaped by setbacks, and a stubborn refusal to give up. Roopa grew up dreaming of space. With a BE in aeronautical engineering, she even worked a stint with the National Aerospace Laboratories, Bengaluru. But her true launchpad came from the Indian Navy. 'Roopa faced so many SSB interviews. It felt like she was going in circles,' said her younger sister Durga Monica. 'She decided to make one final attempt. And she cleared it.' After being commissioned in June 2017, Roopa's job at the Naval Armament Inspection division in Mumbai required her to inspect weapons, guns, rocket launchers and torpedoes that went into warships and submarines. It is here that she picked up sailing, first as a dinghy sailor and then in competitive sailing. 'She never wanted an ordinary life, with a 9-5 job. She wanted something that others would not do,' said Monica. 'If you give Roopa an opportunity, she will grab it and there is nothing that will stop her.' Whether it was bungee jumping or her decision to take up surfing, the Alagirisamys had no inkling of Roopa's adventurous streak. 'Nobody knows the truth about when she volunteered for sailing in the circumnavigation. She never told any of this to us,' said Monica with a laugh. Behind the Tarini's voyage are two stories of persistence, parallel, yet bound by the same wind. Roopa and Dilna's journey echoes the trail first charted by INSV Tarini's all-women crew in 2018, who sailed around the globe as part of Navika Sagar Parikrama. In 2024, Roopa and Dilna made it their own. Panaji : As a child, Dilna K was afraid of heights. Today, she climbs the INSV Tarini's 25-meter-high mast in the middle of the ocean. In Puducherry, another family watches with similar awe as Roopa Alagirisamy, once a girl with dreams of space, returns after conquering the world's oceans. The two naval officers — Lt Commanders Dilna K and Roopa Alagirisamy — will sail into Mormugao Port on Thursday evening, marking the end of a historic, eight-month-long voyage. Their journey covered 25,400 nautical miles, crossing four oceans and rounding the three Great Capes — a feat attempted by few, and achieved by even fewer. Though they grew up on opposite sides of the Anaimalai Hills, what binds them is a relentless grit — a refusal to accept ceilings, whether on land or at sea. From the age of 10, Dilna was never one to be found indoors. While other children studied for tests, she was outdoors — wielding a cricket bat with the boys from her colony or chasing football down dusty lanes. 'She found her passion for rifle shooting in NCC and became a national shooter. Shooting is expensive, she always had to compromise on training and good equipment. I remember her travelling from Kozhikode to Idukki almost every two weeks to practice at a good range,' Dilna's sister Deepthi said. Before her father, an Army man, passed away in 2015, Dilna made a promise that she would represent India at the international level. On Thursday, as Tarini sails into Mormugao Port, she brings that promise home. Dilna has always been a daddy's girl and still rides her father's old Royal Enfield as an ode to him. 'She used to pull out 100 buckets of water per day from our well as a young girl to build up her muscles and we used to make fun of her. She would climb coconut trees at home to develop agility, even though she was scared of heights,' said Deepthi. Like Dilna, Roopa's journey was shaped by setbacks, and a stubborn refusal to give up. Roopa grew up dreaming of space. With a BE in aeronautical engineering, she even worked a stint with the National Aerospace Laboratories, Bengaluru. But her true launchpad came from the Indian Navy. 'Roopa faced so many SSB interviews. It felt like she was going in circles,' said her younger sister Durga Monica. 'She decided to make one final attempt. And she cleared it.' After being commissioned in June 2017, Roopa's job at the Naval Armament Inspection division in Mumbai required her to inspect weapons, guns, rocket launchers and torpedoes that went into warships and submarines. It is here that she picked up sailing, first as a dinghy sailor and then in competitive sailing. 'She never wanted an ordinary life, with a 9-5 job. She wanted something that others would not do,' said Monica. 'If you give Roopa an opportunity, she will grab it and there is nothing that will stop her.' Whether it was bungee jumping or her decision to take up surfing, the Alagirisamys had no inkling of Roopa's adventurous streak. 'Nobody knows the truth about when she volunteered for sailing in the circumnavigation. She never told any of this to us,' said Monica with a laugh. Behind the Tarini's voyage are two stories of persistence, parallel, yet bound by the same wind. Roopa and Dilna's journey echoes the trail first charted by INSV Tarini's all-women crew in 2018, who sailed around the globe as part of Navika Sagar Parikrama. In 2024, Roopa and Dilna made it their own.
