Many countries celebrate their navies on their founding anniversary, but this is not the case for India Navy Day (Navy DayIndian Navy Day, on December 4 every year, commemorates the first major naval victory. This was during the second war against Pakistan. India, which was helping Bangladesh free itself from the guardianship of its western neighbour, launched a naval attack on the port of Karachi, the headquarters of the Pakistani naval forces. The operation code-named “Trident” on December 4, 1971 made it possible to destroy four Pakistani ships and neutralize the enemy’s main naval base.
This naval victory was not really the first. A decade earlier, Operation Vijay, on December 19, 1961, had allowed India to take Goa, but the Portuguese barely defended themselves, and the victory was not as glorious as the one India would achieve over its neighbor in 1971.
Navy Day was first celebrated in 1944, on 21 October, the date of the unparalleled English victory. It was then moved to December 1, and then in 1972 to December 4. It was difficult to point to an institution, because India had inherited a navy that the British had graciously left to them after 1947. Or, in other words, just a few ships to patrol its coasts. Three-quarters of a century later, it has one of the ten most important fleets in the world (seventh, sixth or even fifth depending on standards and reference years, in competition with the fleets of France and the United Kingdom).
Usually, the celebrations are held in Visakhapatnam, the main port on the Bay of Bengal. But this year, Indian Navy Day is being celebrated at the Sindhudurg Fort built by Maratha Emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the coast of the Sea of Eden, south of Bombay in 1660. The event is officiated by Admiral R Hari Kumar, chief of the Indian Navy. Navy crew. It will see the participation of 20 warships as well as 40 aircraft, including MiG 29K and Navy LCA aircraft. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the ceremony at Sindhudurg Fort along with Prime Minister Eknath Shinde and other dignitaries. After the event, it will be revealed that… Modi unveiled the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort, Madha, Malvan.
The naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces was founded in 1612 by the East India Company and was renamed the Indian Navy on 26 January 1950, two and a half years after independence. The British origin of the Indian Navy has been difficult to celebrate. Especially since in India Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Maratha Emperor in the 17th century, is considered the “Father of the Indian Navy.” Realizing early on the importance of a naval presence, he became famous for establishing a powerful navy in order to establish his Maratha Empire and resist external threats, particularly the Dutch, Portuguese and British. Its aim was also to protect the Konkan coast (around Bombay) from piracy. But continuity with this 17th century Maratha fleet and the present navy is difficult to prove.
December 4th is not a public holiday in India, but it is an official celebration. The celebrations include, in addition to laying wreaths at war memorials, a naval musical performance and a live bagpipe dance by SCC students…and the celebrations culminate in a dazzling laser show at the historic Sindhudurg Fort. During the day, in the country’s military ports, warships are exceptionally available for visiting.
Article from the International Calendar published by BiblioMonde, 3 December 2023
