By S.Ravi
New Delhi, Mar 8: That is an exceptional person there is no doubt as she is courageous, cool and calm and has a fine sense of humour. The last Radhika Menon, a Merchant Navy Captain from Kerala, displayed when she had Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi laughing during his interaction with the Nari Shakti Puraskar winners of 2020 and 2021 on the eve of International Women's Day on Monday.
Taking the mic, she told the gathering that during her visits throughout the world, the people of the countries who "don't share friendly relations" with India, have always told her: "Your country has a very strong leader."
If the Indian PM is strong, so are his citizens like Menon, who has the singular distinction of being India's first woman captain of Indian Merchant Navy and also the first woman to be bestowed the International Maritime Organisation Award for Exceptional Bravery in 2016.
Menon, the Puraskar awardee, richly deserves the recognition not just for breaking the glass ceiling but for the fact that seven fishermen, aged between 15 and 50 years, whom she rescued in 2015 owe their lives to her.
These men had got stranded in the sea in June 2015 as the engine of their vessel Durgamma had failed and lost anchor, off the coast of Andhra Pradesh. Adrift in the Bay of Bengal, they had no clue where they were and were completely helpless in the dangerous waters till the oil tanker, Sampurna Swarajya with Captain Menon at the helm sighted them.
Taking charge of the rescue operation, she faced a daunting task because of the adverse weather conditions and turbulence in the sea. According to the Union Ministry of Shipping's statement the height of the waves was more than 25 feet, the wind speed was more than 60 knots and there was heavy rain. It took Menon and her crew three valiant attempts to get the fishermen onboard from their small boat with the help of a pilot ladder.
The fishermen were glad to be onboard as they had been surviving on cold storage ice as food and drinking water supplies had been washed away. In fact their families had given up all hope and were preparing for their last rites.
Talking about the rescue operation, Menon told BBC World News TV: "The sea was very, very turbulent, there was a depression...which was stagnant for two or three days and it had intensified into a deep depression. It was a very difficult task but we had to do it because if I didn't do that I was knowing very well that these fishermen never stood a chance of rescue, no survival at all."
Making no big deal about her efforts, she told TOI: "It is a maritime obligation to save souls in distress at sea, and as a seafarer and master in command of my ship, I just did my duty."
Menon born and raised in Kodungallur, Kerala, started her career as a radio officer in Shipping Corporation of India after completing a radio course at the All India Marine College in Kochi.
In 2012 she became the Captain of the Indian Merchant Navy and also its first-ever woman captain of the Indian Merchant Navy and the same year she took charge of the oil tanker Suvarna Swarajya.
Along with other women naval officers, Suneeti Bala and Sharvani Mishra, she has co-founded the International Women Seafarer's Foundation with the aim to encourage young women seafarers.