Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

They cherish their ‘Day at Sea’

Children of various schools watch the operational demonstrations carried out by Naval ships, from the deck of INS Jalashwa off Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.

On Board INS Jalashwa: It was an exhilarating experience for hundreds of children who gathered on the vast deck of the biggest Naval ship of the Eastern Fleet, INS Jalashwa, as part of the ‘Day at Sea’ organised by the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) off Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.

The vast lower deck of the huge ship, akin to a mini-playground, gave all the freedom to the children to watch the operational demonstrations that were carried out on either side of the ship.

The boys and girls, sporting Eastern Fleet paper caps and waving flags, had a gala time moving from side of the deck to the other as the huge ship moved towards the open sea.

“This is our first sailing experience. The rescue of a drowning man by a helicopter and landing of a chopper on the deck of a ship was a visual treat,” said Hariharan, a Std. IX pupil of Timpany School. Amarnath, Mani Bharat and Sri Vidya of Amar Concept School (NAD Kotha Road) echoed his views.

“It’s a great experience as we are sailing for the first time. It also gave us a chance to explore the Indian Navy,” said an excited Revathi Nambiar (Std. IX) of St. Joseph’s Girls’ High School, and added as an afterthought, “Only some of us are lucky enough to be here. We will narrate our experiences to our friends.”

Her classmates P. Sai Madhavi and Asha were overwhelmed by the rescue of a drowning man by a helicopter and described it as an excellent opportunity to watch the bravery of the soldiers.

“We reported at the jetty by 6.30 a.m. They allowed ten students from each school. It was a unique opportunity for our students,” said S. Santosh, sports teacher of Westwood International School.The children were seen talking to one another with bated breath as their date with ENC came to an end around 4 p.m.

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