My real life Hero with Gypsy Blood in his veins!

Abhilash Tomy, the super sailor

My Hero & I !

There is a race of men that won’t fit in
A race that can’t stay still

So they break the hearts
Of kith and kin
And they roam the world at will

They range the field and they rove the flood
And they climb the mountains’ crest

Their's is the curse of the gypsy blood
And they don’t know how to rest.

My career in journalism spans more than his life does. Hardened , and generally cynical reporters,--self included-- rarely, very rarely,  compliment someone who has delivered a fabulous lecture or narrated a wonderful story. 

Recently, I not only did that, but unabashedly told the speaker that he had become my real life hero. And for once, those present in the hall—starting from the top management of the Malayala Manorama Co Ltd  to the reporter who joined us just a few days earlier—were all happy with that compliment. It was a matter of joy and pride to personally salute the 34-year old Abhilash Tomy, who had kept us on the edge of our seats, with a frank and  fantastic narration of his fabulous voyage : Sagar Parikrama 2, in which he solo circumnavigated the Earth  non stop , on a totally “made in India” ship, named Mahdei , after a goddess from Goa!The  gypsy blood clearly runs in this  real life hero, who  shared his scintillating , thrilling, sometimes dangerous, and at all times a rare experience of  the mission accomplished.  He is the first Indian, second Asian and 79th person to have done this non-stop solo circumnavigation of the Earth, starting at Mumbai, and finishing there as well.By the way, he is a Commander in the Indian Navy.
Abhilash has been sharing his story  of Sagar Parikrama 2, with people across the country , possibly across the world. Google and you are likely to find a lot about him and his adventure. His blogs, his Face Book posts will all fill in the details the print media may have missed out. So I will not attempt to share that.

But a few of the things he said, I am putting down as much for my own joy as  for the pleasure of those who may chance upon this blog post .
Sailors, according to the old joke, have a woman in every port. For Abhilash, there was no port, considering it was a non-stop circumnavigation. But it was as if there was a "she" with him all the time! When he spoke of the voyage , he never used an “I”. It was always a “we”. We got the impression that he and his ship had become one, the “we”. He confirmed it.  The return to Mumbai would not have been possible if one of the two had developed a snag-- of it the two did not go into it as "we".
He often spoke of  being “alone”. Loneliness was not a word that crept into his talk. Clearly his hands,heart, head, mind and entire body were all so fully occupied that there was no time to feel lonely!
What hit me about this total absence of loneliness was that often, in discussions on death penalty or capital punishment –a subject I have covered profusely!—I have favoured total isolation, of the Kala pani variety, as THE punishment that  can teach criminals the value of the existence of fellow human beings. If that lesson gets into the being of the criminal, he may never want to harm another human being.
But Abhilash’s story made it amply clear that total isolation can also be very creatively used. I  won’t go into the issue of whether criminals will get a ship to maintain, and  face weathers to brave etc etc as there are endless options before the human mind.

Abhilash said the purpose of the mission was not to sell or promote the Indian Navy. It was to sell the oceans, since most people in India don’t know what an ocean looks like.
He is content that a part of that mission was achieved when a group of students in a government school in rural Maharashtra replied, “ Cape Horn, “Cape of Good Hope” and Cape Leewin, when asked to name the capes Abhilash crossed.
Once he had set sail, Abhilash was unassisted. “You can mine the sea, you can fish if you want, but as my guru said, it is easier to open a can of tuna”.
He had brought home no showpieces, but only lessons, my hero confessed.“The earth provides for everyone’s need but not for greed”.Nothing that we may not have heard or read. But coming from a man who braved the elements for 151 days, non stop, covering 21,000 nautical miles, gives the 10 words a new, and more  deep meaning—in fact reinforces the truth .

What makes the voyage even more important  for Indians, is the fact that when Mahdei  touched port after the non-stop circumnavigation of the earth, “she was good to go again”. Mahdei is a totally made in India ship. More pride worthy is the way Abhilash described it. “Mahdei was built with extreme honesty, top quality honesty”. Mahdei is also the most decorated ship , with Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra and many other honours in her kitty.
Abhilash has been a topper all through school and college. He is an ace pilot, and prefers to spend the afternoons on his bike. The record holding sailor is remarkably humble, amusingly shy, straight in contrast to what stories would describe sailors, fun to talk to, full of beans, and of course  full of adventure. He was just as  serious and evolved .

 He had lessons for us, the staff of The Week as well. Plan, prepare,prepare and prepare .And work according to that plan.  Don’t go on a wild goose chase. Don’t while away your waiting time.

Coming from Abhilash,  the importance of these lessons we take lightly, get underscored.


He would love to do the voyage again, but the oceans and Mahdei probably need a female touch. Sagar Parikrama 3 will either see three women do the nonstop circumnavigation of the Earth, or one lucky lady sail away with that honor! 

I can't wait for my heroine to surface..like a mermaid from the depths of the oceans.