On High Seas

A keen adventurer with a love for water,Chowdhury was part of many expeditions like Mumbai to Goa,Mumbai to Cochin and Mumbai to Iran. “But going round the world was a grand plan,” recalls the retired army man who now lives in Chandigarh. Getting sanctions from the army and the government,putting together the finances,convincing family and friends and finally looking for a yacht that was tough enough was just the beginning of the challenges. “We began the process in 1980 and it took us four years to get the plan into action,including buying a 15-year-old Swan Class Yacht from England,” he recalls. For a trial run,they sailed from Britain to India,a four-month journey of about 8,000 kms that brought them up against the stormy area in the world,the Bay of Biscay. Torn sails,no food,sea sickness,mental and physical fatigue and scary stormy nights. But they got the answer to the question,“can you brave it?” “It was a resounding yes,” says Chowdhury with pride.

So,the men and their boat were ready to go. The team comprised 10 members,with six on board,and Chowdhury leading the expedition and also acting as team manager. They called the yacht The Trishna,to indicate an urge to fulfill. The Trishna set sail from Mumbai and,among the well-wishers,was Rajiv Gandhi,the prime minister. The boat was stocked with a supplies of water and tinned food,but each member was allowed only a handbag as luggage.

As the land receded and the water stretched ahead,the adventures began,among them the storms off the Cape of Good Hope. There were meorable sights too — St Helena,where Napoleon was buried and the island of Ascension where the US was conducting moon-landing trials. “The islands of Galapagos is one of the most exotic in the world with a treasure of rare flora and fauna and volcanoes. It was here that Darwin propounded his Theory of Evolution,” says Chowdhury as he talks of the places visited. At Tahiti,the world-famous islands of Bora-Bora,he was the centre of attraction as people had never seen a Sikh before.

At Fiji,full of dangerous corals that could slice through boats,the crew fought hard and succeeded. At Sydney,they were only partly successful against Nature — though they survived a bad storm,they were thrown 350 miles off course. “During the storm,we would be thrown 50 feet up by the waves,and we thought it would be our last,” he recounts.

After 470 days,the team returned to Mumbai to a resounding reception,with Rajiv Gandhi asking Trishna to be a part of the Republic Day Parade,President Zail Singh honouring the members and the Chiefs of the Army,Air Force and Navy holding a grand reception for them. The Trishna is now a part of the Naval Sailing Club and young officers use the yacht for training.

Chowdhury has written a book titled The Voyage of Trishna and writer Dom Moraes too,fascinated by the expedition,penned one of his own called Trishna. Chowdhury and his team are all set to meet in January in Mumbai to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the voyage.