Why Isn’t The Freedom Of Sea For Us? Find Out About This Extraordinary Woman!
Dreams come true when you work on it in spite of the obstacles. Freedom is yours only if you are worth fighting for it!
She belongs to the heights and also to the sea. She has her wings of fire and with this Breeze of confidence, she stormed out and set a benchmark. “Blues aren’t always bad” she proved to us. Women often in olden days were set boundaries but then there was this woman and inspiration for thousands today- Radhika Menon. She not only suspended the boundaries but also led her crew fearlessly.
This era is dedicated to gender equality and finally, the contribution of women is being acknowledged and the world is slowly but gradually embracing women and turning this from patriarchy to equality. In India, people worship goddesses, and women have always been a resource towards prosperity for their family, society, and eventually the nation. Radhika Menon has set a new colour in the world of women empowerment. She became the first female merchant navy captain of India. Her life is a reflection of the growing stature of women in Indian society.
The Foundation
Radhika Menon was born and brought up in Kodungallur of Kerala. She then opted for a radio course at All India marine college, Kochi. Since childhood, Radhika had always been excellent at academic and extracurricular activities. Her enthusiasm to achieve things was high and she outsmarted in every field she was put into. Radhika had exceptional talent and dedication, this, therefore helped her conquer heights in the coming future. She always wanted to do something different and challenging.
Her desire of pushing herself harder towards a full-time career in the Maritime industry finally succeeded. There were hurdles and labels marked by society at her. She was always told to stay in limits and that dreams will only be dreams. Even her parents were not confident about her choices. Nevertheless, she persisted! She opted for a radio course of one and a half years after her graduation in 1985. In those days it was only men who were suited for the navy. However, Radhika entered the industry, changed the perception, and exhibited her talent to the world. After clearing her radio course with flying colours, she became the very first female radio officer in the Indian merchant’s navy.
Dreams Aren’t Just “Dreams”
As Napoleon Hill said, “When your desires are strong enough, you will appear to possess superhuman powers to achieve things”. It was the same case with Radhika, she was all set to break the records and set her own limits. She continued to perform exceptionally well in her radio services. Along with that, she completed her master’s certification. Gathering experiences and adding success to her resume she climbed the ladder of success in a condensed period. All the struggle was worth it when she was promoted to be the captain of the Indian merchant’s navy in 2012, the first Indian woman to be awarded this post in history.
With power comes stability and Radhika was always ready to beat the blues. Being the captain she was in charge of an oil tanker which weighs about 21,827 tons known as MT sampurna swarajya. In every story, we find a woman behind the success of a man but here, Radhika was well supported by her husband.
The Spirit Of Courage Recognized
Radhika’s biggest achievement was a rescue operation of seven missing fishermen who were stuck in the sea for a week in June 2015. She was on a regularly scheduled operation in her oil tanker Sumpurna Swarajya. ‘Durgamba’ a fishing boat went through an engine failure during a storm, battling a wave height of up to 9 meters in the Bay of Bengal. Fortunately, Captain Radhika stopped for a hand waving from a distance of 2.9 km. She realized that this is a matter of life and death and then she orchestrated a rescue operation to save the life of the seven fishermen. Without a second thought, she bravely saved their lives. As the saying goes on “A great success story is the only proof that you have given your dream your very best.” It was a very tough decision taken by Radhika in stormy weather. She motivated her team and made them believe in their capabilities. Her team trusted her and fought tooth and nail for the rescue operation. However, they failed during their first attempt. But during the second attempt, Radhika showed her skills and stopped the engines of their ship so that the boat could clear the area of the tanker. Two fishermen were successfully saved. The hustle to save the remaining five came to an end during the last attempt.
In an interview, Radhika said “It was my responsibility as a merchant navy officer and I have promptly performed my duty. Of all these years, I have learned that whatever action I take has to be perfect. Women have no room for mistakes in such professions. If anything goes wrong, people immediately tag you and behave in a very unforgiving manner”. After the rescue operation, she set a new record of becoming the first woman in the world to receive a prestigious ‘Exceptional Bravery at Sea’ award from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for her outstanding rescue operation.
Radhika started her own legacy by laying a foundation of IWSF (International Women Seafarer Foundation) in 2017. This foundation tries to help young women to showcase their talent and skills towards the Sea. Radhika Menon is defining a new definition of success to society by proving that no profession is related anywhere to the gender. Her confidence, dedication and courage have helped her establish a magnificent pyramid of success and power. She has proved the naysayers that dreams can be converted into reality, that there is the freedom of Sea to every woman out there!
Originally published at https://www.fuzia.com.