VEREM: When Rudyard Kipling penned the poem ‘If’ in 1895 as a blueprint for life, little did he imagine that his words would resonate on May 21, when a 56-ft yacht culminated an arduous journey of 21,600 nautical miles. On it were six daredevil women officers from the Indian Navy . One of them, Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, articulated two words — ‘Circumnavigation complete’ — before defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman; two words neither she, nor maritime history, will never forget.After sailing for eight months with 194 days at sea, INSV Tarini touched the INS Mandovi jetty, completing the historic global circumnavigation voyage, Navika Sagar Parikrama. The expedition, the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew , began on September 10 last year .The vessel was skippered by Joshi and the crew comprised Lt Cdrs Pratibha Jamwal, P Swathi, and Lieutenants S Vijaya Devi, B Aishwarya and Payal Gupta.“These officers are now among the illustrious Indian women whose accomplishments in diverse fields have contributed immensely to the discourse of women empowerment,” said chief of naval staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba.During the 254 day-long voyage, INSV Tarini visited five countries — Australia, New Zealand, Falkland Islands (UK), South Africa and Mauritius. The vessel met all criteria of circumnavigation — crossing the equator twice, crossing all longitudes, as also the three great capes, Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope.Since sailing out from INS Mandovi, the crew has been at the mercy of the weather and it has not been smooth sailing all through. From zero wind to winds in excess of 60 knots, the vessel encountered everything nature had to offer.“On our way past Cape Horn, we had the most dreadful night, and after battling through the weather and the forces of nature, we finally crossed Cape Horn and headed towards Falkland Islands,” Joshi said, providing a glimpse of the crew’s experiences. “We bring into completion the extraordinarily adventurous voyage of our lifetime.”The expedition is in consonance with the national policy to empower women to attain their full potential and to showcase ‘Nari Shakti’ on the world platform. In keeping with this role, the six officers spent time interacting with Indian diaspora, government representatives, school children and sailing schools wherever they stopped.In Kipling’s own words, which Joshi quoted on Monday, “If you can fill the unforgiving minute, with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.”

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