Title:An arduous journey across oceans

"It was an absolute risk of life. We didn't know whether we would be able to come back to the land or not. The oceans don't give you a chance to falter. You have to keep your eyes and ears open all the time,"  said Lt. Commander P. Swathi. She was onboard INSV Tarini along with five other women in a historic journey across oceans circumnavigating the globe in a 254-day expedition.

斯瓦蒂少校说：“这是绝对的生命危险。我们不知道我们是否能够回到陆地。海洋没有给你一个犹豫的机会。你必须时刻保持清醒。”她在INSV Tarini号船上与另外五名妇女一起参加了一次为期254天的远距离海洋航行旅行。

As Tarini sailed closer to the Indian coast on May 21, Swathi imagined the day of returning home in her mind so many times. But, a few metres from the Goa Port, there was a feeling of vacuum. She knew she was going to miss the sea. After battling storms and cyclones in the oceans, Swathi said:  "The entire journey was more about overcoming mental battles than physical ones."  The feat achieved by Swathi, who hails from Visakhapatnam, and the five other women is historic in many ways. Even before they embarked on the mission last year, they had many mental battles to win. The journey of INSV Tarini was also about busting a bunch of gender stereotypes.  "The sea is gender neutral. It doesn't give preferential treatment to you. All the notions about women are generated by human beings. It is unfortunate that we as a nation are far behind when it comes to gender equality than the Western countries. They have the freedom to achieve their dreams,"  added Swathi and hoped more and more women were inducted as sailors. In preparation to their arduous mission on sea, the team of six were trained onboard INSV Mhadei, the first Indian boat to circumnavigate the world under the mentorship of Captain Dilip Donde – the first Indian to circumnavigate the world solo.

5月21日离印度海岸更近时，斯瓦蒂想象过回家的日子多次，但是，在离果阿港几米的地方，有一种真空的感觉。

斯瓦提在海洋中战胜风暴和旋风后，说：“整个旅程更多的是精神战，而不是肉体战。”斯瓦提欢呼，其他五名妇女从许多方面来说都是历史性的，甚至在她们去年开始执行任务之前，她们就进行了许多精神斗争以赢得胜利。

《国家人权研究所塔里尼计划》的征程也是为了破除许多性别陈规定型观念，"海洋是性别中立的，不给予你优惠的待遇，所有关于妇女的观念都是由人类形成的。不幸的是，我们作为一个国家，在性别平等方面比西方国家落后，他们有实现梦想的自由，"斯瓦提补充说，希望越来越多的妇女成为水手。

为迎接海上的艰巨任务，六人小组在INSV Mhadei船上接受训练，这是第一艘在帝力普顿德船长的指导下环游世界的印度船只。

Narrating the terrifying experience when the boat was sailing in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean and caught in a storm that came at the speed of a super-cyclone, Swathi said that was the time when she prayed within. On stormy weathers like those, the crew had Maggi moments when they ran out of food and ate nothing, but instant noodles for their meal. If the sea was menacing, it was generous too.  "The oceans offer you a different perspective towards life. I have learnt to value the small things in life we take from granted – fresh vegetables, plentiful water and also understood the importance of patience in life. We also saw the rich marine life, auroras and bioluminescence — these are experiences that you get only at the sea,"  said the 27-year-old who started sailing at the age of 13. After her return from the record-setting expedition, Swathi now is eagerly waiting to get back to Visakhapatnam, the city that made her what she is.  "I am coming back on transfer to Visakhapatnam in August,"  added Swathi.

斯瓦提说，当船在南太平洋中间航行并陷入一场以超大气旋速度到来的风暴时，她所经历的可怕经历少得可怜。

在这样暴风雨的天气里，船员们什么也没吃，只是吃了方便面。

“海洋为你们提供了对生命的不同看法。我学会了珍视生活中一些小事，从新鲜蔬菜，充裕的水中吸取，也理解了耐心在生活中的重要性。我们同时看到了丰富的海洋生物，极光和生物发光，这些都就是你只有在海上才能得到的经历。"27岁的人13岁开始航海。

斯瓦提说：“我将于8月份返回Visakhatnam。”