KOCHI: Lieutenant Commanders Dilna K and Roopa Alagirisamy were awarded the Shaurya Chakra gallantry award by President Droupadi Murmu on the eve of the 77th Republic Day.
Lt Cdr Dilna, who hails from Kerala’s Kozhikode, and Pondicherry native Lt Cdr Roopa A were part of the Navy’s ambitious Navika Sagar Parikrama II – a historic circumnavigation voyage of the globe.
The eight-month journey, which began on October 2, 2024, saw the duo navigate over 21,600 nautical miles (approximately 40,000km) without any external assistance, relying solely on wind power. What makes their journey particularly compelling is that neither officer came from a sailing background.
When their vessel reappeared on the Goan horizon on May 29, Lt Cdr Dilna and Lt Cdr Roopa became the first from India to circumnavigate the globe in double-handed mode (involving two sailors).
The Indian Navy’s tableau for the Republic Day Parade will feature this journey. TNIE also learned from reliable sources that the two officers will be part of the Navy’s contingent marching down the Kartavya Path.
Lt Cdr Dilna K joined the Navy as a logistics officer in 2014. She is a renowned shooter and has won several medals in national championships. A big cricket enthusiast, she has also represented the Kerala state team. Her father, the late Devadasan, was an Army officer.
Lt Cdr Roopa A joined the Navy’s armament inspection cadre in 2017. This aeronautical engineering graduate has had a stint with National Aerospace Laboratories, Bengaluru, before her tryst with the Armed Forces. Her father, Alagirisamy G P, is a former Indian Air Force officer
Both officers have won the Admiral Ramdas Trophy, instituted by the Yachting Association of India, in 2023.
On Sunday, President Murmu approved gallantry awards to 70 Armed Forces personnel, including six posthumous. These include one Ashok Chakra; three Kirti Chakras; 13 Shaurya Chakras, including one posthumous; one Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry); 44 Sena Medals (Gallantry), including five posthumous; six Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and two Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).