Indian Army Sailing Vessel Triveni, a 50-foot yacht built indigenously in Puducherry, India. Photo: X / India in Perth
Members of the South Island's Indian community gathered in Lyttelton over the weekend to welcome the Indian Armed Forces' first-ever all-women tri-services sailing expedition, marking an historic stop in Christchurch.
The Indian Army Sailing Vessel Triveni arrived as part of a round-the-world voyage that brought together women officers from the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, showcasing inter-service unity and women's leadership in one of the world's most demanding maritime expeditions.
The arrival followed the Navika Sagar Parikrama II expedition, in which two female sailors of the Indian Navy circumnavigated the globe aboard the Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Tarini, arriving in Lyttelton in January.
In August 2023, two Indian naval vessels, INS Kolkata and INS Sahyardri, visited New Zealand.
The expedition, titled Samudra Pradakshina, comprised 10 members in total, including five permanent crew and a rotating team that joined the vessel for different legs of the journey.
The crew departed from Mumbai's historic Gateway of India on 11 September 2025, and planned to sail more than 26,000 nautical miles, crossing the Equator twice and rounding the three great capes - Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope.
The eight-to-nine-month expedition include stops in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa, before returning to Mumbai in May 2026.
"We've faced a wide range of weather conditions. Near the equator there were periods of showers and shifting winds, sometimes even total doldrums. The Southern Ocean, however, has been good to us," said Lieutenant Colonel Anuja Varudkar, the skipper of the Triveni expedition.
Varudkar, who has served in the Indian Army for more than two decades and hails from Maharashtra, said expeditions like Triveni tested both physical and mental endurance.
"You have to be at sea for long periods and be prepared to face difficult and unexpected weather, sometimes for a week, sometimes it passes in two or three days. You never know, and that's what really tests you," she said.
As skipper, Varudkar was responsible for managing the crew and ensuring the vessel's seaworthiness, including repairs, restocking and replenishment.
"It also involves the crew's mental and physical health, as well as their abilities and skills, before assigning them to a particular task. The most challenging part, I'd say, is managing the crew because while a port can be repaired, the crew takes time," she said.
Varudkar said all crew members were novices and had trained for more than three years to prepare for the expedition.
Six women officers from the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force made up the crew.
These include Indian Air Force Officers Squadron Leader Shraddha Raju, the deputy skipper, Wing Commander Vibha Singh and Squadron Leader Aruvi Jayadev.
The Indian Navy is represented by Lieutenant Commander Priyanka Gusain, while Indian Army officers Major Karamjeet Kaur and Captain Prajakta P. Nikam complete the crew.
Varudkar said the next leg - crossing the Drake Passage en route to Argentina - with no land in between for nearly 5,000 nautical miles, would be one of the most challenging stretches of the journey.
She said the team would have to fend for themselves across Point Nemo, the most remote spot in the ocean.
Port calls typically lasted 10 to 11 days, Varudkar said, allowing time to repair wear and tear on the vessel, rest and recuperate, restock supplies, and engage with local communities and officials as part of defence diplomacy.
Varudkar said the expedition highlighted the unity of India's three defence forces, women's empowerment, and India's self-reliance with the voyage undertaken on an indigenous, Indian-built vessel.
Members of the Indian community gathered in Lyttelton last weekend to welcome the Indian Armed Forces' first all-women tri-services sailing expedition. Photo: Facebook / India in New Zealand (High Commission of India, Wellington)
Dame Ranjna Patel was among members of the Indian community who welcomed the crew in Lyttelton.
"I'm absolutely blown away by their tenacity, their ability and their training," she said.
"Most of them didn't even know what a yacht was or didn't know how to swim, but the rigorous training program which they described to us... was just incredible," Patel said.
She said she felt fortunate to meet the crew and remained in awe of their achievement.
"I'm glad I went to meet them... I really thought they were absolutely marvellous coming all this way. But after meeting them, I was even more in awe of what they have achieved," Patel said.
