Starting November, for the next 180 days, 33 year-old Lieutenant Commander Abhilash Tomy will lead a life many envy but some may not fancy at all — throwing a sack full of clothes in sea water to wash them, brushing teeth with, again, saline sea water, and cooking potatoes in it too (hey, a different batch, we mean). “You don’t even need salt then,” jokes 33 year-old Tomy.

In November, Tomy will set off in the ship INSV Mhaidei to circumnavigate the world alone — and non-stop — in 180 days. This makes him the first person to do so in India, and the second in Asia to undertake such a voyage.