Keen to learn more about inclusive workplaces? Want to be inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community? Download our special report with Randstad India on making Inclusion without Exception happen
Captain Radhika Menon becomes the first woman to receive the award for Exceptional Bravery at sea, challenging the stereotype that bravery is only associated with men.
In June last year, seven fishermen were on a fishing boat ‘Durgamma’ that was caught in a storm after enduring engine failure and loss of anchor. The boat had drifted from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh to Gopalpur in Odisha. Their food supplies had been washed away and they were surviving on ice from cold storage.
While back home, their families were praying for a miracle to see their loved ones, these fishermen who were aged between 15 and 50 years had lost all hopes for survival.
Their ordeal came to an end when Radhika Menon, first woman Captain of Indian Merchant Navy spotted them.
Radhika Menon was at the helm of the oil tanker- Sampurna Swarajya and spotted the vessel 2.5 km away. “Through wave heights of more than 25 feet, winds of more than 60 knots and heavy rain, on 22 June, the second officer on the Sampurna Swarajya spotted the boat 2.5 kilometres away, off the coast of Gopalpur, Odisha. Captain Menon immediately ordered a rescue operation, utilising the pilot ladder and with life jackets on standby,” said the Shipping Ministry in a statement.
The Government of India nominated Radhika Menon who became the first woman to receive the award for Exceptional Bravery at sea from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in July.
The IMO award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea, instituted in 2007, is annually given to persons who perform acts of exceptional bravery and courage in attempting to save life at sea or in attempting to prevent or mitigate damage to the marine environment, often at a risk to their own lives.
Radhika Menon is a resident of Kodungallur in Kerala. Five years ago she became the first woman to captain a ship of the Indian Merchant Navy.
When asked about her exemplary courage in the rescue operation, Radhika said to the Times of India,“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,”
While women have now shifted their roles from household chores to excelling in diverse professions and business, bravery is still not a virtue traditionally associated with women. There are superheroes who save lives but no super ‘heroines’. Radhika Menon has challenged this stereotype and set an example for women all over the world.
We felicitate and salute Radhika for her efforts and hope that this is just the beginning to many more super heroines from India!
Image Source: Youtube
I like to write about the problems that have plagued the Indian society. I feel that the concept of gender equality is still alien , and that has been the focus of my articles and posts. read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
If you want to get back to work after a break, here’s the ultimate guide to return to work programs in India from tech, finance or health sectors - for women just like you!
Last week, I was having a conversation with a friend related to personal financial planning and she shared how she had had fleeting thoughts about joining work but she was apprehensive to take the plunge. She was unaware of return to work programs available in India.
She had taken a 3-year long career break due to child care and the disconnect from the job arena that she spoke about is something several women in the same situation will relate to.
More often than not, women take a break from their careers to devote time to their kids because we still do not have a strong eco-system in place that can support new mothers, even though things are gradually changing on this front.
No law in the country recognises enabling the rapist to walk free after marrying the survivor. However, in reality, it is something that families and communities often push for.
In the same week where the Delhi High Court on Wednesday, 11 May, saw a split decision on the constitutionality of the marital rape exception, another equally reactionary decision was handed by a divisional bench of the Supreme Court when they set aside the conviction and sentence of a man who had repeatedly raped his 14 year old niece
The facts of the case are simple. The accused, K Dhandapani, enticed his 14 year old niece with the promise of marriage and raped her several times. The family came to know of the offence when the girl became pregnant, and a case was lodged against him under the Protection of Child from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. After trying his case, in 2018, the Sessions Court found him guilty on all three counts, and convicted him and sentenced him to 10 years rigorous imprisonment. The accused appealed to the Madras High Court which upheld the conviction and the sentence in 2019.
The girl gave birth in 2017, before the case came up in court. Despite the pending case against him, he continued to have sexual relations with the girl, and she gave birth to her second child at the age of 17.