Indian Navy Day, celebrated each year to commemorate Operation Trident’s commencement, as part of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, is another day where the glory of the Tricolour shows up. That nothing can beat the pride and honour one gets in representing and safeguarding the nation in the white uniform. MetroPlus interacts with those in the Indian Navy, who’ve put the nation ahead of their lives.
It was a time of war and political turmoil, recollects S. Mohapatra, Rear Admiral (Retd.), who had joined the Navy in 1966. “The incidents of the wars in 1962 and 1965 fuelled courage in our minds. I was an engineering student then. The biggest lesson that my stint in the Navy instilled was to live without discrimination. We were shipmates from all parts of the country and it didn’t matter at all where we came from. We were friends. And the women were those who’d always taken guard of our families at home. Living away from home, the work created a sense of oneness that nothing could have replaced.” After his retirement, he served 10 years as an Executive Director for the BrahMos Aerospace Lab in Vizag.
Captain (Retd.) S. Rammohan shares a similar opinion. “The stint in the Navy meant regular travel, year after year, both for me and my family and it was a wonderful opportunity to see a blend of so many cultures at once. That made me a better human. Dealing with ship-construction, design and repair through a 28-year career, the first experience of revamping a 25-year-old ship still brings a smile to my face. We battled rain, sunshine and many weather turbulences to make that happen. The job, given my background in science and maths and the love for sports, gave a lot of fulfilment.”
B. Manjunath, Cmdr (Retd), meanwhile cherishes the time he spent with former-president APJ Abdul Kalam, as part of Akash, on course to his appointment in the Navy. Conducting the trials of multiple DRDO products including submarines and ships, he’d made sure the nation and the family had its own place in his life. “My younger son, who’s just 15 now is also inclined to join the Navy. It’ll be a wonderful thing to see the legacy (of serving the nation) continuefor another generation,” he says.
We move on to Captain (Retd) Tilak Raj who says the Navy is one that faces the least political interference from other departments/divisions in the country. “The system here is a blessing and so are the women at home who take charge of our lives. So, the job satisfaction during my 35 year journey was immense. Adapting to the VLSI technology over time and familiarising myself with a warship that was not of Russian origin (like in his early days) were the biggest challenges I had to encounter.”
Cmdr Chinaverriyya (Retd.), a winner of the Yudh Seva Medal (for his work with IPKF in Sri Lanka) and Nausena Medal Gallantry awards, rekindles his memories during the monthly Navy Foundation meets. Leaving his M.Sc course in Organic Chemistry midway for his appointment in the Navy, he’s best known for his 26-hour battle to save lives in the infamous 1997-HPCL blast in Vizag amidst 34 fire vendors.
“While the blast took place at 6:20 am, I was relieved at about 2 am late in the night, when there was no food or water. I still remember the day I was interviewed by N Ram of The Hindu , while working with the Indian peace-keeping force in Sri Lanka too. We Navy mates still meet on several occasions and remember our days of glory. I still feel very much a part of the Navy, with the occasional felicitations and when I talk about my career with the media.”
