In 1992, the Odisha government had sent an eight-member expedition to Bali in Indonesia. The team had six members of the Indian Navy and two civilians, including 19-year-old Nibedita Acharya. Now 43, Nibedita tells The Telegraph about the historic journey

I still remember the day. Nearly 10 lakh people, led by the then chief minister Biju Patnaik, had come to see us and our crew off on our voyage from Paradip to the Bali island in Indonesia on an 11-metre yacht. The event was to commemorate the centuries-old business and cultural ties between Odisha and the Indonesian archipelago.

We had set out on November 10, 1992, on an Indian Navy yacht.

Biju babu, whom I adore, came up to me and wished me luck. "Return back safe and make Odias proud," he had said. I was barely 19 then.

Preparation for the journey had been tough. The state government had come out with an advertisement that they would send a team of young men on a sailing expedition to Indonesia. Thousands of applications were received. The selection process was tough and I was lucky to be part of the team. Manmohan Mishra and I were selected for the journey.

After training, I received a call from Biju Patnaik to meet him at the state secretariat. I was quite nervous. The moment I entered his chamber he greeted me and said: "Can you survive this arduous journey in the sea?"

He had even suggested that I withdraw. But I protested and said I was ready to accept the challenge. Seeing my confidence, he said: "Go ahead, my blessings are with you."

He also spoke to my parents and asked them not to worry. Later, the navy personnel took Manmohan and me to Kochi where we were trained for nearly a month. I was asked to join the crew in Vishakhapatnam. Before the ceremonial send off, we sailed to Paradip from Vishakhapatnam and that gave us a taste of what the journey was going to be like.

My parents, particularly my mother, was nervous. However, my sisters, friends and brothers were quite supportive, and they encouraged me.

On November 9, the navy organised a grand party for us in Paradip. They had invited my family and nearly 50 of my friends. After the party, I came back along with the crew to the rest house in Paradip. Early the next morning, we tried our best to decorate the yacht. Amidst the sounds of the conchs and clapping of the members, we started our journey.

The captain assigned seven members in the yacht different tasks. Every one had to take care of the compass and handle it for a few hours. After leaving Paradip, we reached Gopalpur, then Vishakhapatnam and Chennai. From Chennai, we proceeded towards the Andamans and thereafter towards Sumatra and Bali. It took us nearly three months to reach the destination.

The first few days, I enjoyed sailing. But it became painful with each passing day. No one was there on board who I could talk to much. My friends were the dolphins during the day. At night, I talked to the countless twinkling stars and tried to imagine how the people in the old days undertook such journey without the convenience of modern scientific assistance that we have.

We had a ham radio that was the medium of communication with harbour officials. Even Biju babu spoke to me on this ham radio and enquired about my health. I still recall how pirates had attacked us near the Sumatra sea. But, the captain managed to drive them away by giving them some food and drinks. I also saw live volcanoes near the sea in Indonesia.

The moment we landed in Bali on January 2, thousands of people, along with Biju Patnaik, were there to receive us. He was happy to see me fit and fine and asked his officials to take me around Bali in a special car and let me buy whatever I wanted to. After winning the hearts of thousands of people there, I came back to Bhubaneswar on a special fight along with Biju babu. Later, both Nalco and the state government had offered me jobs. Now, I work with the state government's department of sports and youth services.

It's sad when I now hear people, including state ministers, talk about me at public meetings but fail to recognise me even when I am sitting next to them.