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February 13, 2001
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The Rediff Special/ Admiral J G Nadkarni (retd)
When the Indian Navy's newly commissioned destroyer, the INS Mumbai, takes place of pride in the International Fleet Review on February 17, she will be the first ship of that name to take part in a pageant of this type. But her predecessors, under the old name, INS Bombay, have been around for many years.
Those who have had the privilege of watching a similar event 48 years ago will remember that the same names featured in the Navy's first-ever review in 1953, when India's first President, Rajendra Prasad, inspected four lines and 25 ships.
Till it was ready, the pride of place belonged to the INS Delhi (the renamed Achilles) cruiser, which was already 20 years old when it arrived in India in 1947. The three Rajput class destroyers and the three Godavari class ships which were acquired in 1949 formed most of the fleet.
Then, in 1966, a review of sorts was held once again. It could not be called a naval review, as it was held at sea and barely 10 ships steamed past President Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan.
Fleet reviews, in the present format, have been held only in 1969, 1976, 1984 and 1989. Each was mightier than its predecessor. The last one, in particular, was notable for many things, not the least being the presence of two aircraft carriers in the review lines for the first and, possibly, the last time. That review also had a fly past by 39 naval aircraft. It even got the Indian Navy featured on the cover of Time magazine.
The author of this article has been fortunate enough to take part in every review held so far -- as a serving officer in the first three reviews, as a commanding officer in the 1969 and 1976 reviews and, finally, as Chief of the Naval Staff in 1989.
Each review had something special about it. The 1953 review was the first such event; the 1964 review was the only one by a defence minister; the 1966 one was the first review held at sea and, 1969, because it was the first time the Indian Navy's three dimensions were on display.
But the naval review which will be most remembered was the one held in 1976, not because of what happened in Bombay harbour but because of what took place behind the scenes.
The 1976 review took place during the Emergency. A fleet review is principally the President's show since, as the commander-in-chief, he is entitled to inspect his fleet. Even the prime minister has to take a back seat on the occasion and, if s/he attends, is normally accommodated in a ship which follows the President's yacht. Thus, in 1976, a special yacht was prepared for the then President, Fakruddin Ali Ahmed. It was berthed at the Gateway of India. An identical yacht was to sail from the Naval Dockyard with Indira Gandhi on board. At the last minute, the prime minister intimated that she would not be able to attend and nominated Sanjay Gandhi as her representative.
The traditional banquet which follows the review proved to be the backdrop for another drama. The lunch was held in the comparatively small wardroom of the INS Vikrant. As a result, there was limited space at the head table. Months of planning and preparation came to naught when Bansi Lal threw the seating plan out of the window and insisted on seating Sanjay Gandhi at the head table. This resulted in two senior commanders-in-chief being deprived of their place of honour.
The day's events culminated with the defence minister and the then chief of naval staff, Admiral Suren Kohli, having an almighty row in front of the guests at the reception held on the Navy House lawns. Bansi Lal chided Kohli for the review arrangements which were not to his liking; but Kohli was having none of it. The humiliating end to the day's drama came when Sanjay 'interviewed' three potential candidates for the soon-to-be-vacant post of the chief of naval staff. Admirals Cursetji, Krishnan and Kulkarni, who had combined service experience of more than 100 years, were questioned on naval strategy by a 30-year-old school dropout!
Eight years later, when the Navy held its next review, things went more smoothly. A wiser Indira Gandhi dutifully took her place on the second yacht and followed then President Giani Zail Singh's yacht. The banquet was held at the naval mess, with plenty of place for everyone. Indira had her own show the next day, when the fleet went out to sea for a day.
The Emergency is over and so, to a large extent, is the abject sycophancy which was a part of it. It is unlikely that a modern day prime minister's son will throw his weight around in future.
The 2001 review will, for the first time, include a large number of foreign ships. The scope of the review has also changed -- it will include events like an international maritime seminar and band performances. Additional plans like a cultural evening preceding the actual review have been cancelled, keeping in view the devastation caused by the earthquake in Gujarat. More than 75 ships are expected to take part in the proceedings; some of them have formally entered the waters of Bombay today, even as the city readies to host this historic occasion.
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Which is the case with a large number of ships that will be on parade for their present Commander-in-Chief, President K R Narayanan. Indeed, a sure sign that the Indian Navy has come of age is the fact that a number of ships -- including the INS Delhi, the INS Rajput, the INS Ganga and the INS Investigator -- are in their second incarnation.
In those days, the strength of the fleet was very poor -- there was no question, therefore, of new or indigenous ships. Indigenous construction was, in fact, established only in 1972 with the commissioning of the first Leander class frigate, the INS Nilgiri, at Mazgaon Dock.
Eleven years were to pass before the Navy held its second fleet review. It was not a presidential review. Instead, in 1964, the then defence minister, Y B Chavan, held a review at Bombay harbour. The number of ships had barely increased, but, for the first time, spanking new frigates built in British yards made their appearance. India's first aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant, led the review lines.
The then defence minister, Bansi Lal, took it upon himself to escort Sanjay Gandhi around. To start with, he wanted Sanjay to be on the President's yacht, standing alongside the President. The naval authorities politely refused to allow this. Yet Sanjay, escorted by the defence minister, arrived at the Gateway of India and boarded the presidential yacht. But, much to Bansi Lal's dismay, a small cordon of flag officers prevented Sanjay Gandhi from standing alongside the President.