‘Whenever I am in trouble, I think about the sea’: Cdr Abhilash Tomy at HTLS 2019 - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

‘Whenever I am in trouble, I think about the sea’: Cdr Abhilash Tomy at HTLS 2019

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByHT Correspondent
Dec 06, 2019 12:44 PM IST

One of the most decorated sailors from India, Indian Navy’s Commander Abhilash Tomy was speaking at the two-day Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi.

Indian Navy’s Commander Abhilash Tomy wants to go back to the seas after spending 72 harrowing hours before rescue came during the Golden Globe Race last year.

Cdr Tomy is the first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the world under sail in 2013.(Photo: Raj K Raj/ Hindustan Times)
Cdr Tomy is the first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the world under sail in 2013.(Photo: Raj K Raj/ Hindustan Times)

“I had fractured my spine and did not know if I would come out alive. But there is always tomorrow to look forward to,” Cdr Tomy said.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

One of the most decorated sailors from India, Cdr Tomy was speaking at the two-day Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi.

Read live updates from 17th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here.

He was a special invitee to the 50th-anniversary edition of the Golden Globe Race in 2018. After 82 days at sea, the sailor was in the third position when a storm dismasted his boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean, leaving him with spinal injuries.

Cdr Tomy was rescued after a combined effort of four nations, which became one of the biggest rescue missions of the century.

The 40-year-old sailor narrated what he did to keep himself collected before he was rescued and how he prepared a brief for the doctor who he would meet after the rescue.

“I secured myself on the bunk. Had massive hiccups. In the meantime, I had to control my hiccup and vomiting helped stop it,” he said.

Photos | HTLS 2019: Indian Navy Commander Abhilash Tomy at the 17th edition of Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2019

“My wife and unborn child were my only two thoughts on the ship,” he added.

Cdr Tomy said whenever he is in trouble he thinks about the sea.

“The sea is calm and peaceful and displays an array of emotions… People, like the sea, have something untapped, unseen in them and that’s what I channel,” Cdr Tomy said.

Cdr Tomy, the first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the world under sail in 2013.

He successfully completed a single handed and nonstop circumnavigation of the globe under sail in 2012-13. He was awarded the country’s second-highest peace-time gallantry award, Kirti Chakra.

The theme for 17th edition of HTLS 2019 is “Conversations for a better tomorrow”, where political leaders, corporate heads and torchbearers from various fields will ideate and debate the topic.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On