Eeshna Dashottar, Pune
On October 2, two women officers of the Indian Navy, Lieutenant Commanders Dilna K and Roopa A, began their journey to circumnavigate the globe from Goa. The duo will aim to travel 21,600 nautical miles over a period of eight months.
Lt. Commanders Dilna K and Roopa A sailed on the Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini. They are expected to make a return to the country by May 2025. The officers have travelled 38,000 nautical miles previously and have also gained three years of training for this expedition. They are expected to complete the 21,600 nautical miles-long journey without any external assistance, solely depending on the wind power.
Lt. Commander Dilna K is from Kozhikode, Kerala. Beginning her career with the Indian Navy in 2014, she has now become a part of this unique expedition by the Navy. Hailing from Puducherry, Lt Commander Roopa A from Puducherry started her Indian Navy career in 2017. These two are set to embark on a challenging journey around the globe and bring pride to the nation.
This project was planned and prepared for by the Indian Navy in line with the Navika Sagar Parikrama initiative. The Navika Sagar Parikrama is a historic project that was undertaken in 2017. Under this project, a crew of six women officers sailed across thr globe. Therefore, this project is being termed as ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama II’.
A commencement event of the project took place at the Naval Ocean Sailing Node, INS Mandovi, Goa. Notable figures present at the commencement of this voyage were the Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Southern Naval Command Vice Admiral V Srinivas, and more such dignitaries.
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi waved the starting flags for this expedition and appreciated the project being undertaken by the two officers. He commended the officers and said that these two officers have become representatives of India which is beyond societal restrictions and keen on new explorations. He hoped that this project will prove to be helpful for the country’s scientific research fields. This project will work in collaboration with the National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO) to research marine microplastics and ferrous material across the seas.