INS Tamal

Folks, Today, 01 Jul 2025, as the Indian Navy commissioned INS Tamal in Kaliningrad, Russia, it marked a moment that held much resonance for me and, possibly, for many of my contemporaries. Named after the sword of Indra – the King of Gods – Tamal has the distinction of being India’s last ‘imported ship’. The stealth frigate is equipped with the latest and best in terms of weapons and sensors but it may be the last that the Baltic coast of Russia (or any other coast in any other country) may see an Indian ship commissioned there. Because, India is now building all her ships in India.

The Chief Guest at the event was Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh, the Head Honcho of the Western Naval Command and one of Navy’s most distinguished officers. SJ, as he is affectionately called, is my NDA (68th) and Navy coursemate. The topper of our course and the Sword of Honour, he is also the last man standing. The rest of our Navy coursemates have retired and so will SJ at the end of this month. His retirement will mark the end of the formal association of our course with the Navy, though, of course, we will continue to be proud Naval veterans.

By a serendipitous coincidence, our course was commissioned on this very day, 39 years ago, on 01 Jul, in 1986. Our Naval training had begun a year earlier, in Jul 1985, on Cadets training ships. At that time our Navy was a mix of few Indian and mostly foreign (majority Russian) ships. In the 40 years that we have traversed since, we have watched the Service grow in leaps and bounds, and have witnessed many (and been part of some) operational successes, technical accomplishments and administrative innovations. But arguably, there has been no greater achievement than seeing our Navy transform from a buyer’s Navy to a builder’s Navy.

Today, Indian Navy is building 59 ships in India. Another 31 have been approved by the Government. This implies that over next few years, the Indian Navy will induct 90 ships, all built in India. A pioneer in 'making in India', from 1960, today the Navy designs - and our shipyards build - everything from aircraft carriers to nuclear submarines to large fleet support ships. Tamal’s commissioning, thus, marks an inflection point beyond which our entire surface Fleet will be Indian. It’s a proud moment for all of us who have been some part of this journey. We began our service life when the Godavari class (our first indigenous design) were being inducted. Later, I was fortunate to serve on INS Ganga. My first command was INS Vindhyagiri, a Leander class Frigate, that were our first large warships built in India. And a similar landmark moment like today was achieved when, in Nov 1997, INS Delhi (lead ship of Project 15) was commissioned. SJ was its first Navigating Officer, while I as the first SCO, tenanted the far side of the bridge. The Project 15 and its follow-ons have been our Fleet mainstay ever since and one of our best designs.

While the FOCinC West presides over the function, the ship will be commissioned by Captain Tata Sridhar. Sridhar was my cadet in the National Defence Academy, Hunter Squadron, when I was an instructor there. He was also a member of the Journalism club that I had formed. Twice a week, for couple of hours each, some creatively inclined cadets and I met to discuss some different kind of topics and had much fun in the process. Over the years, I have seen Sridhar grow and bloom into a professionally accomplished and personally amiable officer. Being the Commissioning Skipper of Navy’s latest Grey Ferrari is a wonderful reward for all the hard yards he has put in the 27 years of service. Seeing one’s ward do well is always a moment of pride for the Divisional Officer.

While I was not able to watch the Commissioning Ceremony, it had, within its folds, the story of both transition and transformation. While the Indian Navy is an example of the latter, the two people mentioned here signify the transition. My coursemate Vice Admiral SJ Singh, who will hang his uniform at the end of the month and Captain Tata Sridhar, who will seek to run a happy and taut ship, mark the handing over of baton from our generation to the next. Over the subsequent years as India heads into Amrit Kaal and younger and better men (and women) join our fine service they, in turn, will take over from the present senior echelons.

It's time for us to cheer from the sidelines and say, in a tacky imitation of Kaifi Azmi, “Ab Tumhare Hawale Navy Sathiyon!” I am sure even the normally phlegmatic SJ Singh may have felt a little overcome by emotion today.

Sham Noh Varuna!

Commodore Srikant Kesnur

Pictures courtesy Indian Navy and Press Information Bureau, Government of India