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A rich, multi-generational exploration of the Bakhshi family’s unique naval legacy. Beginning with Lieutenant Commander V. P. Bakhshi, a pioneering figure in Indian naval diving, the article traces how his daughters, the Bakhshi sisters, each forged their own paths while maintaining deep ties to naval life. The narrative offers insight into family, tradition, and service values rooted in maritime culture.

In naval routines, “Action Messing” once meant meal distribution at action stations, a practical way to keep crews fed under heightened readiness. Over time, however, this simple drill became tangled in over-engineered sequences that obscured its original purpose. Through personal experience and reflection, Commodore Srikant Kesnur argues for returning action messing to its core objective: ensuring crew sustenance while enabling combat readiness, not turning it into bureaucra

In naval parlance, “November November Three” signalled the successful completion of a task. This piece unfolds around the retirement of two distinguished officers from the 68th NDA course, Vice Admiral SJ Singh and Commodore Hemant Khatri. Through the lens of longstanding friendship and shared service, Cmde Kesnur reflects on camaraderie, professional excellence, and the quiet dignity with which these leaders concluded their careers, a personal yet universal tribute to servic

The commissioning of INS Tamal in Kaliningrad, named for Indra’s sword, marked a symbolic inflection point in Indian naval history: the transition from a buyer’s Navy to a builder’s Navy. From the author’s own journey alongside the service to the pacing of indigenous shipbuilding, Tamal becomes a lens to view broader transformation, one that spans generations, shipyards, and the evolution of India’s maritime self-reliance.