Merchant Navy Captain Radhika Menon was awarded the Nari Shakti Samman by President Ramnath Kovind on International Women's Day (8/3/2022), Tuesday.
On the occasion of International Women's Day, President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Nari Shakti Puraskars for 2020 and 2021 to 29 women who have made outstanding contributions to the empowerment of women.
Nari Shakti Puraskar is given under the initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development in recognition of the remarkable contribution made by individuals and institutions
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the winners of the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2020 and 2021 editions on Monday, on the eve of International Women's Day. PM Modi met the women awardees at his official residence on Lok Kalyan Marg.
During this, Captain Radhika Menon, awarded with Nari Shakti Puraskar and India's first merchant navy woman captain, praised PM Modi.
Captain Radhika Menon thanked PM Modi for bringing about a paradigm shift in the development of the maritime sector.
Captain Radhika Menon is the first Indian woman to win an International Maritime Organization (IMO) award for her bravery.
This award is given internationally to those people who show extraordinary bravery at the risk of their lives.
Merchant Navy Captain Radhika Menon etched her name in the pages of history as the first woman to be awarded IMO's award for her extraordinary bravery in rescuing seven fishermen from a fishing boat in the turbulent Bay of Bengal in 2016. got done
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Who is Captain Radhika Menon?
Captain Radhika Menon is an Indian woman Merchant Navy officer, currently serving as the Captain of the Indian Merchant Navy.
She is also the first woman captain of the Indian Merchant Navy, commanding the oil products tanker Suvarna Swarajya.
She is on the advisory board of C&Coast, a Delhi-based maritime magazine.
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Birth and Early Life
Captain Radhika Menon was born and brought up in Kodungallur, Kerala. She has been a brilliant student and an extraordinary genius since childhood. She always wanted to challenge and do something better against the conservative thinking of society.
It was because of her willpower that she moved toward the Navy.
Initially, she faced strong opposition from her family members and relatives. But she was determined to give up, strong-willed and brimming with the will to do something. Her parents had to accept defeat in front of his unwavering determination. In 1985, at the age of 16, she completed her graduation and then completed a one-and-a-half-year radio course at the All India Marine College, Kochi.
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Career
Captain Radhika Menon started her career as a Radio Officer in the Shipping Corporation of India.
After a brief stint with the Shipping Corporation of India, she became a major cadre of the Indian Navy. In 2012, she was promoted to Captain of the Indian Merchant Navy and became the first Indian woman in history to be honored with this rank.
In the same year, she took over as the flagship of the oil tanker Suvarna Swarajya, which weighs about 21,827 tonnes.
Since the day she took charge, she has been proactive in handling all responsibilities of the ship. She was also greatly supported by her husband, who himself had been a radio officer and knew the challenging aspects of the job.
The biggest achievement of Captain Radhika Menon and her team was the successful rescue of seven fishermen from the boat Durgamma in June 2015.
Due to engine failure in bad weather, this boat got lost and all their food was also washed away due to a sea storm. The boat was sighted by the Shipping Corporation of India ship Sampoorna Swaraj, commanded by Captain Radhika Menon, about two and a half kilometers off the coast of Gopalpur in Odisha.
Without any artificial trackers on the fishing vessel, it was impossible for any fisherman to ask for help from another vessel. So there was very little chance of his survival. Luckily at the same time, Captain Radhika Menon saw someone waving at a distance of about 2.5 km. She knew it was a matter of one's life and death. And she ordered the rescue operation of those seven fishermen without any thought.
Although it was a difficult decision to go on the open deck in such weather, Captain Radhika Menon gave her team confidence in their abilities and guided the rescue operation. Her team trusted her and contributed their best to save the lives of all the fishermen.
Meanwhile, there was a time when his first attempt failed due to strong winds and bad weather. But Captain Radhika Menon did not change her mind and stopped her ship's engines so that the boat could clear the propeller area of the tanker. In her second attempt, she successfully rescued two fishermen, and then the remaining five were rescued in her last attempt.
The Government of India nominated her for an award relevant to her national duty and bravery and she became the first woman to receive the IMO Bravery Award.
Captain Radhika Menon along with fellow naval officers Suniti Bala and Sharvani Mishra founded the International Women Sailors Foundation (IWSF) on 3 November 2017 in Mumbai with an aim to inspire young women sailors.
On 29 September 2019, she was honored by the Government of India in India's Laxmi hashtag campaign. It was introduced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a part of the Mann Ki Baat series to celebrate the achievements of Indian women.
Even big problems have to succumb to strong faith and high spirits. So stick to your path with full faith and strong intention, success will surely kiss your feet.
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