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

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.