Growing up with Admiral Awati
Vice Admiral Manohar Prahlad Awati, PVSM, VrC (1927–2018) was one of India’s great maritime icons. A Signals and Communications specialist, he commanded several important ships, including INS Mysore, and went on to command the Western Fleet and the Western Naval Command. During the 1971 war, his leadership as Captain of INS Kamorta earned him the Vir Chakra. Tall, striking and unmistakably flamboyant, with his trademark seadog’s beard, Awati possessed a charisma that made him a memorable presence wherever he went.
Yet Admiral Awati’s place in India’s maritime history extends well beyond his distinguished naval career. A passionate sailor and advocate of India’s maritime heritage, he founded the Maritime History Society in 1978. He was also the driving force behind Sagar Parikrama, the Indian Navy’s pioneering circumnavigation initiative, and remained closely involved in its planning and execution. His legacy therefore lies not only in the Navy he served, but also in the maritime history he helped preserve and the culture of ocean sailing he helped build.
7 September 2026 marks the 99th birth anniversary of Admiral Manohar Prahlad Awati and the beginning of his birth centenary year.
Admiral Awati's influence on generations of naval officers is perhaps best understood through the memories of those he trained. As his birth centenary year begins, we are pleased to share this personal account of the man behind the legend.
We missed Admiral Awati at the National Defence Academy (NDA), as he had already completed his tenure as Commandant by the time we joined. We grew up in the Academy, hearing of stories of the Admiral, both real and made up. So, we already had an image of the bearded old man, by the time we caught up with him at Bombay.
It was our very first day as cadets onboard the old cruiser, INS Mysore, tied up at the south breakwater of Naval Dockyard, Bombay. She had already finished her active service life, and made an ideal training ship with her wooden decks, thickly sooted funnels, rusted hull, salted ropes and shining jack and ensign staffs, all making useful training aids for us to earn our sea legs.
We met the Admiral on our very first day in the city, well before sunrise, as we were out for our morning PT. He was walking down the Admiral's walk. He greeted us, walked on to the South Breakwater and stopped at the gangway of our ship, shouting out "Mysore, Chai Hai Kya?". We would meet him regularly thereafter, as he walked all over the docks, stopping by the ships tied up at different breakwaters, shouting out for his morning Chai.
As the Commander-in-Chief, he took personal interest in our training, giving us opportunities to train on the job. He insisted that we holystoned Mysore's wooden deck, painted her sides, pulled her whalers, washed her boilers and cleared thick soot from her funnels. He placed the sail training ship Varuna under INS Mysore, so that we learnt our ropes and set sail into our naval life like true mariners. The Admiral often sailed with us on the Varuna, enchanting us with stories of the great Maratha Navy that fought in the same waters. His interest in maritime history took us to the Anjadiv island, where he tasked us to camp for a week and haul down the abandoned Portuguese cannons there, float them out on improvised floats, load them onboard INS Amba (anchored at a distance) and sail back on the ship to unload them at Bombay. That was an exclusive experience that came handy in improvising ingenious ways to overcome problems in our life at sea as officers.
We finished our cadet training and a few of us moved to INS Shivaji at Lonavla for further training, choosing the technical branches. Admiral Awati was a regular visitor there, sometimes choosing unconventional modes of travel from Bombay to Lonavla, like sharing the railway engine of Deccan Queen with the loco driver. He started his day at Lonavla around 3 in the morning, silently strolling the sprawling wilderness to watch birds like wild fowl and whistling thrushes wake up. Then he would walk into one of the trainee sailors' messes, shouting out "Chai Hai Kya?", surprising young sailors as they woke up. The Admiral would take us paddling into the little lake in the campus, releasing hundreds of little baby fish he arranged from the Tata Power's dams nearby. Then he would walk around classrooms, labs and workshops, to finally end the day with a trek to Duke's Nose or one of the forts around the base.
He touched and guided every aspect of training at Shivaji in his own informal style, without insisting on formal inspections and ceremonial parades.
The highlight of Admiral Awati's visits to INS Shivaji in our times was the re-enactment of the 1661 Battle of Umberkhind, where a mere 1000-strong Maratha force led by Shivaji Maharaj routed a Mughal Army, twenty times stronger with heavy artillery led by General Kartalab Khan, thus preventing the Mughals from controlling the Konkan and the seafront.
Kartalab Khan's massive army with cannons and cavalry had plans to move from Pune to the Konkan through the traditional route via Khandala and Khopoli. But he was tricked by Shivaji's spies who spread a rumour that the Maratha army was deployed along that route. So, the Mughal army was forced to trudge down from the Korwanda village (where the INS Shivaji campus is) through the narrow, treacherous trenches and ravines that led to Umberkhind and then to the Konkan plains. They were struggling along with their heavy artillery and troops that were not familiar with the terrain.
Shivaji and his men, who knew the terrain very well, were hiding on horsebacks along the way. They got the Mughal army entrapped in a ravine at Umberkhind, and a fierce battle followed. The fast and lightly armed Marathas were able to rout the Mughals in a matter of hours, though they were twenty times stronger. The captured cannons, horses and arms added much strength to the Maratha army. The battle at Umberkhind, which prevented the Mughals from entering Konkan, stands out as an ideal case of guerilla warfare that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is known for.
Admiral Awati made us reenact that battle. Student and staff officers were dressed up as Maratha and Mughal warriors, including Shivaji and Kartalab Khan, in specially designed traditional attire and arms including mock cannons. Horses were brought from NDA and multiple rehearsals held to familiarise them with the terrain and fine tune all the details. Finally the 'Battle of Umberkhind' was reenacted at the exact 1661 location in front of a cheering crowd that gathered from surrounding villages. Admiral Awati watched the proceedings, perched on his favorite horse from NDA, and later dedicated a monument to remember the battle.
The Admiral retired soon thereafter, but continued to inspire us in a new avatar during our growing up years in the navy. He surprised us by appearing in a well fitting suit on huge billboards all over the country, as a dashing model for a leading textile brand!
Captain Ramesh Babu
Captain Ramesh Babu is from the 61st NDA course and served as an Engineer Officer in the Indian Navy for 25 years. Following his naval career, he spent nearly 15 years with Mazagon Dock. Since retiring in 2021, he has returned to his native village in Central Kerala, where he is rediscovering his roots through social initiatives and the promotion of rural products. He is associated with the Spice of Life Trust and Real and Rural, initiatives focused on community development and rural enterprise.
An interesting recap indeed...