Lady on the Deck

Menon sailed into the untested waters of a shipping career early. “I always knew that I was not cut out for the regular 9-to-5 job. I wanted to do something different,” she says. Soon after her Class XII examinations in 1991,she joined the Shipping Corporation of India as a trainee radio officer. The job entailed looking after the ship’s communication systems. Since most radio officers also tended to double as pursers,she also handled the menu and provisions. “Even back then,I was the first woman radio officer in the country,” she says. She gradually ascended the hierarchy by clearing exams for the posts of second mate and chief mate,and did the sea time required to appear for the master’s certificate which she cleared in 2010. Last year,she took charge of MT Suvarna Swarajya,on which she had sailed twice earlier.

Only a handful of women work in the merchant navy,as it is a career that demands being away from home for long stretches of time,ranging from six months to a year. Around 50 women sail as cadets or junior officers on the deck,while another 25 are employed as engineers in the ships’ engine rooms. “Since the trend of women going out to the sea is a fairly recent one,there are very few women on the senior rungs of this profession. Most tend to drop out after 10-12 years of service,following either marriage or childbirth,” says Menon,who is based in Cochin. With her husband having worked for the merchant navy,she had it easier. “My husband,who was a radio officer himself,understands the demands of this profession. Also,since I am allowed to carry family on the ship,my son and he have sailed a few times with me. What makes up though is the fact that if I sail for six months,I also get six months at home,” she says.

Having been all over the world in her voyages aboard merchant vessels and passenger ships,Menon has chosen to sail on the Indian coast as it enables her to keep in touch with her family. There is always a chance that the ship can stop at Cochin. “Because I was on the coast,my son could come over last October and sail with me for a few days,” says Menon.

She admits that it is demanding to be a woman in a traditional male bastion. “The crew here may have been taken back initially when they first learnt that they would have a lady master. They were probably more nervous than I was. But it depends on how you conduct yourself and convince them of your ability to lead. Having said that,I admit that like in many other fields,a woman is watched more closely than a man for mistakes and errors,” says Menon. As a captain,she has to ensure that her crew of 40 does its job properly. Her day is spent going on the deck to check the holds and maintenance,supervising provisions,holding safety meetings,communicating with the company,being on the bridge and ensuring that the vessel is ready in every possible way before it reaches its next port of call. A 24/7 job,it also means being responsible for the safety of the ship,crew and cargo,thus making for a job that often calls for steely nerves and the ability to take quick decisions.

Menon found herself in a challenging situation fairly early in her command when she discovered that her vessel was in the way of a cyclone in Nagapattinam. “It had started from the east coast of Sri Lanka and was coming our way. I saw the path on the internet and took early action to alter course,” she says.

A seasoned traveller,her enduring memories are not so much about exotic locales as about nature at its purest. “The unpolluted atmosphere,the beautiful sunrise and sunsets,the spectacular moonlit nights. And even the rough times coupled with adventures—this is what makes a sailor’s life worth it all,” she says.

While shipping companies are getting used to more women employees,no one has thought about changing the designation of master to a more gender-neutral one. “It makes no difference,” says Menon as she readies to sail from Haldia to Vizag,her next port of call. “I am perfectly okay with being the master.” Of the ship and her destiny.