Commander Abhilash Tomy was rescued and the whole nation was talking about Tomy’s wellbeing. Back home Urmimala Abhilash, wife of Commander Tomy was all tensed and couldn’t sleep for several nights when the news about her husband being stranded at sea came to her.
Commander Tomy was extremely unhappy to abandon Thuriya at sea. The Naval officer was with the shipyard right from the day the yacht-building started. Says Urmimala, a graphic designer by profession, “Though I was a little stressed out from the very beginning about his circumnavigation tournament, I just let him go because he was extremely passionate about it and he constantly wanted to go. And when you see your man so determined and confident, you just need to let them follow their passion.”
Urmimala never wanted to be a nagging wife. This kind of mission requires mental clarity, excellent planning and enough support from people around. “All you want is that your husband should go sailing with a happy mind.”
“For me since the time I am married, every moment is precious because you know that your husband cannot be with you all the time,” adds Urmimala. Commander Tomy without fail used to send letters to his wife while sailing so that she could deal with each day and this helped her to overcome the day-to-day hardships of life.
He was completely absorbed in the project and so Urmimala didn’t want her insecurities to come in the way of her husband’s mission. Urmimala and Commander Tommy named the yacht Thuriya which they had taken from the Upanishads and she handled all the promotional material needed for the mission. She was constantly in touch with the Golden Globe Race from the time the sailing began. She still remembers the evening when she got the news about her husband being stranded in the middle of the sea. “It was 6.30 in the evening and I completely blanked out when I got the news. It took me a little time to call up the people from naval fraternity for helping my husband out. Navy acted very fast and by 9 pm everybody in the war room was alerted. I thank the entire naval fraternity for taking quick action in my husband’s rescue. My friends from the Navy stood by me throughout.”
Talking about the fact about how eager she is to meet her husband, Urmimala says, “I had mentally prepared myself to meet him after a year. But when I heard, about his condition I was in a state of shock for some time. I know he is in good hands so I am at peace now and I know he is going to be back home soon.”
When asked if she is an equally adventurous person like her husband, Urmimala laughs and says, “I am a completely homebound person and that’s what keeps our relationship alive. He constantly keeps telling me that I am the one who keeps him grounded!”
