Folks, happy to share that on Sat, 02 Mar, I was awarded the 'Prerana Puraskar' by #MaharashtraSevaSangh a very well known & highly regarded, Mumbai based social & cultural organization. Spreading awareness about our Armed Forces is also one of its many objectives through one





2/n of its initiatives called #SaluteIndia. The award was given in recognition of 'my efforts in spreading awareness on maritime issues'. Am grateful & humbled by this gesture of MSS. Also, deeply grateful to my family & friends, senior Navy veterans, @indiannavy & my fellow

Folks, 2 days ago, while on a short trip to Kolkota had the greatest privilege & pleasure of meeting #CdrRanendraNathGhosh or #RonnieGhosh as he is known. Sprightly & agile, at nearly 91 years, Ronnie sir, is one of the oldest veterans around & pioneer of Naval Aviation in India.

2/n. An alumnus of 3rd JSW, Ronnie G was commissioned on 01 Sep 54. Volunteering early for Naval Aviation, he trained in Begumpet/Hakimpet & then joined the Naval Jet Flight at Sulur in the late 50s. Selected as commissioning crew of INAS 300, he trained in UK & was part of first

Folks, coming in lil late on this, almost a month after the event, but sharing few snapshots of experiences at the wonderfully organized @PondyLitFest from 15 to 17 Sep, where I had the honour of participating in two sessions. To begin with, all sessions were of high quality and



2/n. Offered much food for thought. Second, it was personally educative to listen to & interact with the very erudite @swapan55, @IndicMeenakshi, @Sampadananda, @gchikermane, @monikahalan to name a few. It was a treat to exchange notes & thoughts with some of the brightest

Thks. Folks, completed an extremely rewarding 4 day trip of #Hyderabad which featured 2 talks each at Military & Civilian institutions. Yesterday, had the honour of speaking to the Higher Defence Management Course participants at #CollegeofDefenceManagement doing an overview of

https://twitter.com/dprohyd/status/1701973478750974166

2/n. India's Maritime past & evaluating @indiannavy growth. The interaction that followed was very interesting & lively. Very good to see the academic & admin infra at the College, which encourages learning & cogitation. On previous day, 12 Sep, also had the honour of speaking at

Yesterday, 17 Jul, had the great pleasure & privilege of addressing participants of the Higher Command Course 52, at the Army War College, Mhow, on 'Overview of India's Maritime History & a brief look at Indian Navy's journey since 1947'. The interaction that followed was





2/n. Rewarding & went on long indicating high interest of the participants in maritime matters. Have very fond memories of AWC from my previous visits & other associations. The sylvan surroundings, well-stocked library & academic atmosphere enable much cogitation on strategic

Folks, last week I had the occasion to visit Wellington, near Ooty. Some notes of the same. I had the privilege of addressing the Naval Wing of 79th DSSC course on "Evaluating the growth & development of Indian Navy 1947 - 2023". A wide canvass that I hope I could do justice to.





2/n. Happily the 3 hour time slot enabled a granular approach touching upon various aspects of the topic. It was particularly nice to see the high level of interest, evidenced in the volley of penetrating questions & comments by the particpant officers which included 8 foreign

Tomorrow, 06 May, at Sunset, Indian Navy will decommission #INSMagar, after 36 years of Service to the Nation. Magar (L 20), was the Lead Ship, in the Landing Ship Tank (Large) or LST (L) category. Much history is associated with the Ship & its namesake predecessor. A thread. 👇 2/n. Amphibious Ships going by an alphabet soup of nomenclatures - LPD, LST, LCU - don't have the glamor of powerful destroyers or sleek corvettes, the aura of aircraft carriers they don't radiate terror of submarines, yet they form a most important component of Navy, especially

Brilliant @realkaypius. Share your lament about the nation largely being unaware of @abhilashtomy & his stupendous feat. I love cricket but despair, like you, on how IPL mania had obscured our finest sporting achievement. Folks @abhilashtomy is at the gates of glory and set

https://twitter.com/realkaypius/status/1651624584767225857

2/n. To create history. To put in cricketing terms, Tomy combines the temperament of @msdhoni, fitness of @imVkohli, skill of @sachin_rt, passion of #sauravganguly, commitment of @anilkumble1074, artistry of @VVSLaxman281, fortitude of @rahuldravid_ind, swag of @virendersehwag,

Folks, sharing a personal essay 'D Birds & the Missing Man' in memory of a dear friend & coursemate Lt Chetan Desai who passed away OTD in 1993. 👇🏻
tinyurl.com/yd5nwfaw
I also try to recreate the atmosphere & zeitgeist of our youth & early years in the Navy.
@Cmde_GPrakash 2/n. The article may resonate or have salience with many who may have had similar life experiences.
@PadmajaParulkar @Harpoonleader @ragarwal @anupamkaushal @Raviahlu @AmbAhluwalia @SanjoyRoyTWA @karthikavk @swatichopra1 @pramodkapoor @SandeepUnnithan @theUdayB @TheBrownBeagle

@Arun_Golaya @CaptDKS @JohnsonOdakkal Thks @Arun_Golaya. This is a good recap of a well-known story by @singhshwetabh71. A detailed history has been brought out in our official history book for the period 1975-90, 'Transition to Eminence' by #VAdmGMHiranandani. (Pp 90 to 94). Some of the guys who played a key role in @Arun_Golaya @CaptDKS @JohnsonOdakkal @singhshwetabh71 2/n. In this transfer are Radm Narpati Datta, then DCNS, Cmde Puri then DNAS, Cmde Joginder Singh, then DNAM, Cmde (or RAdm) MK 'Micki' Roy who was the First Sqn Cdr of INAS 310 & was subject matter expert. While the official history glosses over the role of Adm Jal Cursetji, CNS

Folks, few days ago was absolutely delighted to get this beautiful photo essay book on #VAdmSHSarma, one of our icons, who, among other things, led the Eastern Fleet with distinction during the 1971 war with Pakistan. While I have read the autobiographical account of his life in 2/n. His book "My Years at Sea", (cherished autographed copy), I am looking fwd to dig into this new tome for the wealth of detail, many photos & illustrations & previously untold accounts, all put together in an elegant format. 'Lovingly curated' by #CaptNavinChandraSarma &

Thks @Arun_Golaya. 01 Mar is a very significant date for Indian Navy & VAdm DK Tripathi who took over reins of @IN_WNC today, has done so on a historical day. My article in @DailyGuardian1 linked unpacks the importance. OTD, in 1968, the @IN_WNC , @IN_HQENC & @IN_WesternFleet

https://twitter.com/Arun_Golaya/status/1630854471730470913

2/n. Were formed & today marks the 55th anniversary. As mentioned by many it was also the day when the Navy Chief #AdharKumarChatterji or AKC was promoted to full Admiral from his 3 star rank. As I argued in the article, these were not cosmetic changes but a Navy coming of age.

Folks, this is an excellent Twitter thread by my young friend & Navy enthusiast @zwerubae on a little known aspect of Indian Naval history. It's very well researched & has great pics accompanying. About the Women's Royal Indian Naval Service or WRINS for short. I will only add

https://twitter.com/zwerubae/status/1624737139308265472

2/n. Few small bits in this thread to accompany the earlier one. While the monograph by #ValentinaVitali remains one of the most authoritative studies on WRINS, a very short piece by Peggy Cooper in the book 'Bombay Bucaneers' is worth reading too. @MHSofIndia had also done an

Folks, another huge highlight for me in Bengaluru, happened when I got to meet RAdm SK Gupta, Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), NM (Gallantry), on 02 Feb. This 71 war hero operated from INS Vikrant, leading air strikes into then East Pakistan, as the Sqn Cdr of the 300 (Seahawks) Sqn. Full

https://twitter.com/srikantkesnur/status/1621017884045774850

2/n. Of josh and charm, the Admiral is sprightly & young in his mid 80s. Hailing from 10th Course NDA (B sqn), he enraptured me with his stories of 71 war, the drama on the Flattop, his impressions of Navy's leaders at various times, his Corporate experiences, and much else.

Folks, coming in little late on this but here goes. I happened to be in INS Valsura, one of the Navy's premier training establishments, last week as a participant in the Valsura Literature Festival or #ValLitFest It was a marvellous experience for many reasons. First, hats off to

https://twitter.com/DefencePROkochi/status/1536158869915058177

2/n. #ValLitFest
the Navy, HQSNC & Team Valsura for organizing this delightful fest. Arguably, the first of its kind done by the Navy & first of its kind in Saurashtra region, the fest ticked many new boxes while having an eclectic range of themes & wide variety of authors.

Folks, apart from the many reasons why 26 Jan is our foremost national day, it has significance at many levels for the Armed Forces. And not for the spectacular parade or poignant ceremony at war memorial alone. For it was on 26 Jan 1950 that the prefix Royal was dropped from 2/n. many military organizations & units. Thus, it was on this day 1950 that the Royal Indian Navy became the Indian Navy & His Majesty's Indian Ships became Indian Naval Ships. Thus, the prefix INS for Commissioned units now. This date also has special significance for the Navy

Folks, wishing a very happy 85th birthday to RAdm Santosh Kumar Gupta also fondly called Gigi. Conferred the Maha Vir Chakra for his gallant exploits in the 1971 war, Gigi sir is a living legend. Warm, affable, handsome & articulate, he radiates old world charm. A naval aviator, 2/n. Gupta was the Squadron Commander of the Seahawk squadron (INAS 300) which alongwith the Alizes (INAS 310) were embarked on the aircraft carrier Vikrant during the war. Together, they relentlessly bombarded port infrastructure of then East Pakistan and sank/damaged ships

Folks, this is fabulous news. Perfect timing by @indiannavy in concert with @CMD_MazagonDock & other stakeholders esp ships crew & Warship Overseeing Team, to celebrate the diamond jubilee of liberation of Goa. It is very significant both from symbolic & substantive perspectives.

https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/1472479943061741569

2/n. To have the next Gen class ship Mormugao, named after Goa, sail on her first sortie on the very day the State was liberated is awesome. From accts of Mazdock blokes, it was a copybook sortie sans any hitches. For more do read this post too. m.facebook.com/story.php?stor…
Following

Hello folks, let's wish the grand old Admiral of the Indian Navy, Sri Harilal Sarma, who turns 99 today. A hero of the 1971 war, SH Sarma commanded the newly formed Eastern Fleet as its first Commander & was the architect of its glorious role in the war. As he steps into Century 2/n. year, the nation must celebrate that he is hale, hearty and active. In a momentous year and time, that marks the golden jubilee, Swarnim Vijay Varsh, of our resounding victory in the war, as well as the 50th year of Eastern Fleet, it's also fitting to raise a toast to Sarma,

Tks. Swaraj Parkash was one of our finest heroes of the 71 war. As CO Vikrant he had a tough job, but he handled it with aplomb. A case study in leadership. My tribute to him.
m.tribuneindia.com/news/features/…
@SpokespersonMoD @indiannavy @arunp2810 @theUdayB @rhinohistorian @JaggiBedi

https://twitter.com/Leopard212/status/1464897303236386816

Article on VAdm Swaraj Parkash, 1971 war hero.
@PadmajaParulkar @subnut @jasbirsrandhawa @MandeepBajwa @grewal_sharma @thetribunechd @ajaynewsman @MHSofIndia @nmfindia @JohnsonOdakkal @JoBeingjoe @Cmde_GPrakash @scsbangara @Moochikal @SinghNavdeep @navalhistorian @vgmenon99

Folks, bit of naval history. OTD, 60 years ago, in 1961, India's first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant steamed into home waters & entered Mumbai, then Bombay. She got a huge welcome as the largest ship & only aircraft carrier in the region. While the ship was commissioned earlier 2/n. in the United Kingdom on 04 Mar 61, she underwent extensive workup getting the air squadrons & ship's crew trained & ready for operations in future. On arrival in India, she was received by the Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Vice Admiral RD Katari, the first Indian