To show the empowerment of women in the armed forces, the Defence Minister virtually flagged off a tri-service circumnavigation sailing expedition with an all-women crew from the Gateway of India in Mumbai. This is the first such move by any country in the world. Addressing the country in a virtual inauguration from New Delhi, the Defence Minister highlighted the importance of the expedition in strengthening India’s maritime capability and the role of Nari Shakti and self-reliant India.
The event also made India’s financial capital, and the ‘city of dreams’, historic in terms of the naval history of the world. The crew consisted of 10 army women personnel from all three forces aboard IASV Triveni, a 50-foot Indian army sailing vessel, made in Puducherry. The journey will be nine months long and cover 26,000 nautical miles, where the ship will cross the equator twice, and cross the great capes, Horn, Leeuwin, Good Hope, and the world’s toughest sea passage in the southern ocean, the Drake Passage.
The crew will also make some international stops during their journey before coming back to Mumbai in May 2026. The stops include Lyttelton, Fremantle, Port Stanley, and the beautiful Cape Town. The Defence Minister highlighted the mission as a symbol of Indian women’s courage, discipline, and confidence. Talking about the vessel, he said that it signified India’s technological prowess and growing capability of self-reliance in the defence sector.
In the current situation, India needs to become more self-reliant in the defence sector, and the mission rightly showcased the same. The crew was led by Leitnant Colonel Anuja Varudkar and Shraddha P Raju, Squadron leader. The leaders were rigorously trained for the expedition for several years.
The previous expedition of the leaders included sailing on the western Indian coastline and an international voyage this year, from Mumbai to Seychelles. The current expedition is to strengthen seamanship and also foster the growth of marine science in India.
