AFVOA Newletter August 2020

Section 6 – eConnect Reviews CV 2 No. 02 / 2020 Page 202 of 237 5 The Road Less Travelled – Literally & Metaphorically (Meeting with Ms Meenakshi Arvind) Wg Cdr C Ravishankar Genre: eConnect Review Straight from the Heart Series #6 he coverage of subjects so far (fine arts, history, science & technology) did provide fodder for the intellectual quotient of the participants. In order to inject some excitement into the general scheme of things, the Managing Committee decided to pump in some adrenaline to add that zing into the proceedings. That’s how we chanced upon the ‘Adventuress on the Autobahns of the World’. We do know that the explorative spirit is not widely distributed among men and women. The fear of the unknown has seriously curtailed the lesser mortals to think out of the box. However, curious minds from around the world have often set sail on voyages to explore the unknown. When these few are bitten by the adventure bug, no power on earth can possibly stop them. Do you know that Jeanne Baret is the first woman to circumnavigate the earth (1766 – 1769)? So strong was her sense of exploration, the French botanist disguised herself as a man and enlisted as a valet of naturalist Philibert Commercon on the ship of Captain Louis Antoine de Bougainville. Little was known about this courageous sailor until the first English biography of Jeanne Baret was published in 2002. These explorers are in a different league of their own. It takes a very different doing to move away from the beaten path. Though the inter continental drive across 24 countries is innovative, the enormity and the magnitude of the exercise make one wonder as to what would have prompted Ms T