Indian Naval women officers make history

India Today

Lt Commanders Dilna K and Roopa Alagirisamy of the Indian Navy completed Navika Sagar Parikrama II, a daring, eight-month circumnavigation aboard INSV Tarini.

Transcript

00:00Three cyclones, four continents, 50,000 km. An eight-month circumnavigation of the globe.

00:10These two Indian Navy women officers made history navigating the globe in a sailing vessel with no

00:16external support and only the wind at their backs. Lieutenant Commanders Deel Nake and Rupa

00:21Aligari Sami, the naval duo now famously called as Dilru, returned home aboard INSV Tarani on 29th

00:27May 2025 after completing the Navika Sagar Parikrama 2, an eight-month double-handed circumnavigation

00:34across the world's three largest oceans covering over 25,600 nautical miles. Their routes spanned

00:40four continents, braving three cyclones, crossing every meridian and rounding the three great capes

00:47to 38 days at the sea, a feat that confirmed their journey met all international circumnavigation

00:52standards. Their journey began on 2nd October 2024. During the voyage, the officers stopped at ports

01:10like Fremantle in Australia, Littleton in New Zealand, Port Stanley in the Falklands and Cape Town in South

01:16Africa. Along the way, they participated in outreach programs and represented India proudly, engaging with

01:21parliamentarians, students, naval cadets and Indian diaspora communities. At the flag and ceremony in

01:27Goa, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the growing role of women in India's Defence Forces, acknowledging

01:33their contribution from the heights of Siachen to the depths of the oceans and even in anti-terror

01:39operations like Operation Sindhoor. Abhilash Nomi is one of the greatest and the best that we have

01:44today and he was the mentor for these two young officers. So it speaks volumes of the prowess of

01:50the Indian Navy's seamanship and their sailing capabilities. In mid-February, the crew rounded Cape

01:58Horn at the southern tip of South America, around 800 kilometers from Antarctica, braving continuous rain,

02:04fierce winds and waves taller than five meters. The Navy confirmed that the expedition followed

02:09all international rules for the circumnavigation, which include crossing every meridian and returning

02:15to the original starting point. With this historic achievement, these two women officers have not

02:20only edged their names in the maritime history, but also hoisted the flag of Nari Shakti high on the world

02:26stage.

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