I have followed the voyage and have been in touch with the goings on, have loved the pictures coming our way through Facebook and the blog. Was wondering if all of this (some rare pictures) can be a "Collector's Item? Yes it has become one and it is for the people to feel a part of the history too!
What am I talking about?
Our man, the history maker! The first Indian to circumnavigate the earth non stop and unassisted. Isn't that a feat? It certainly is! We have had a great maritime history but an Indian became only the 79th person in the world to do so. Glad that we have arrived and we did it through Lt Cdr Abhilash Tomy, KC (He was decorated with the honour, Kirti Chakra for achieving this feat).
A bit about the voyage
I have written about it, just at the moment he started the historic voyage, the circumnavigation in November 2012. Heres the link:
It's about
India's greatest naval adventure.
It is about
one man who covered about 40000 kms, sailing around the world, alone and
without any help or stops. The boat Mhadei, went through some of the most
terrible and lonely places on this planet encountering ferocious storms and
raging seas. An adventure of this magnitude is so difficult that less than
100 people have ever successfully completed one. To compare, more than 5 times
the number has gone to space and more than 5000 people have been on the Everest.
He sets off on the historic voyage from
the Gateway of India, Mumbai on 1st November 2012, Thursday. Moves slowly and
steadily on the route marked for him. If you can say marked, in the first
place! Remember nothing is marked in the sea; one has to make it on his own but
the route is more or less just a guideline.
No matter
how much I love the sea, spend hours looking at it and at times talking to it,
I won't be able to sail. I get sea sick and that prevents sailing, for that
matter even joining by mariner husband. I must have already invented countless
reasons why it wasn't a good idea to join him onboard. I remember sailing from
Chennai to Port Blair way back. It was only a 4 days voyage but I was sick of
seeing the sea and my head kept spinning. I was dying to see the land, the
trees, the birds and what not! So, have great admiration for people who
can stay put, keep calm and sail on! Marrying Capt. Todiwan was also a decision
made on such emotional values. A man who can live in the sea for 5 months at a time
can surely face anything (including ME- pun intended) and that I was in safe company.
That truly justifies my admiration for the sea and all people who have made the sea their way of life or a way to earn their living! This admiration I probably expressed in my posts all through while the voyage was on.
That truly justifies my admiration for the sea and all people who have made the sea their way of life or a way to earn their living! This admiration I probably expressed in my posts all through while the voyage was on.
Coming back
to the voyage of Tomy, the next significant moment was crossing the Equator,
have a post on that as well;
Another milestone achievement was rounding the Cape Horn, very few sailors get to do that. Heres a post talking about it,
He spoke about crossing the international date line yet another significant event and kept his fans and fans of the voyage posted on the happenings through his facebook page and also had regular updates on his blog:
He was back in Mumbai on 31st March 2013, completing the circumnavigation in 150 days and 7 hours. But the official reception was organised on the 6th of April 2013, where he was received by the First Citizen of the country President Pranab Mukherjee. He didn't announce his arrival till then and finally everyone learnt about the same when he posted a picture of his stamped passport announcing his arrival on 31st March 2013.
He was received to a Hero's welcome.The whole country took pride in the achievement. It wasn't just his achievement but that of the Indian Navy and India. He received the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award for 2013.
All the excitement, agony, hope, endurance, persistence and grit of a man on a mission is recorded in pictorial form in his book 151, and I get a signed copy of the same!
I feel privileged to own a piece of the history! A national treasure. Through this medium I wish to congratulate Lt Cdr Abhilash Tomy and Co-author Lynn De Souza for coming up with a masterpiece thats just not rare pictures but pictures that speak volumes of the circumnavigation, non stop and unassisted by an Indian..... the only one so far!
Yay!! I finally receive my autographed copy. The book is Brilliant thats the least I can say. Compliments to the authors. The book opens with a message from the President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee followed by a Foreword by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral DK Joshi. Then a prologue by the man himself. Pictures narrate the story and take you through those 151 days of circumnavigation. The language is simple, fluid and something that engulfs you in the very mood and the mindset that the sailor must have gone through. A masterpiece that should be the toast of your collection of books. Its certainly going to be the jewel in my collection. Coincidently my first book that came as a prize of proficiency for standing first in my class in the third grade was, ' A journey to the centre of the Earth' by Jules Verne. This one adds to that, a prized possession!
If you love the sea and sailing, you'll like this book, if you don't understand that you'll love the pictures- a rare collection indeed. And the story that they so effortlessly tell. This is certainly a great coffee table book. He is an inspiration to the youngsters many of whom may consider a career in the armed forces particularly the Navy, and the book introduces you to the different facets of the man and his voyage.
If you love the sea and sailing, you'll like this book, if you don't understand that you'll love the pictures- a rare collection indeed. And the story that they so effortlessly tell. This is certainly a great coffee table book. He is an inspiration to the youngsters many of whom may consider a career in the armed forces particularly the Navy, and the book introduces you to the different facets of the man and his voyage.
He is a good photographer, continues to capture life and moments around him, is aesthetic, one who knows the right moments to capture. If you wish to own a copy of the book please follow the link and order yours:
http://spentamultimedia.com/151.html
 |
| Lt Cdr Abhilash Tomy, KC and Ms. Lynn De Souza with President Pranab Mukherjee presenting their book 151. |
PS. Apologies for making you meander through the different links... its perfectly fine if you didn't visit them, if you did.... thank you :) felt like sharing with my readers what I have already written, while the voyage was on.
If you wish you get a copy of 151, You can send an email to 151.the.book@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment