The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Flow of visitors as Navy opens its gates to the public

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 21, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Flow of visitors as Navy opens its gates to the public

Staff Reporter

— Photo: by special arrangement

SEA LESSONS: Schoolchildren on board a warship at the Kochi Naval Base on Thursday.

KOCHI: The annual carnival at the Naval Base in connection with the Navy Day celebrations began on Thursday, and its gates will remain open to members of the public till Sunday evening.

Three warships will remain open from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. on these days. Both students and older people began streaming into the premises to check out the vessels from Thursday morning. The entry is free.

The Navy Mela was inaugurated on Thursday by Vice-Admiral Sunil K. Damle, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command. It would be open up to 9 p.m. The mela ground has numerous stalls put up by different wings and training schools of the Navy, apart from amusement rides like giant wheel and a well of death. Commercial establishment stalls, food kiosks and stalls by different naval training schools and organisations too have been put up.

The stall of the Naval Aircraft Yard has models of aircraft, while that of Naval Ship Repair Yard has a dry-dock model and other exhibits. The Diving School has featured various diving sets, while the Anti-Submarine Warfare School has displayed torpedoes, mines and models of ships. The Signal School, INS Dronacharya – the Navy’s gunnery school; INHS Sanjivani, the naval hospital; INS Garuda, the naval air station; the Navigation and Direction School and the Navy Wives’ Welfare Association too have interesting exhibits in their stalls.

A fee of Rs 10 per head and Rs 5 per head for students in groups, would be charged to enter the mela premises.

The air display by Sagar Pawan, the Navy’s fleet of Kiran aircraft, would be held on December 4. On Children’s Day, students from a special school in Thiruvananthapuram were taken on a trip to the sea aboard INS Sujatha.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala