Ex-Navy men to bring Vikrant ‘back to life’
Naval officers who served on the aircraft carrier are looking for funds to buy back remains of Vikrant to create a memorial in south Mumbai.
The nation might have lost its hero of the ’71 war, the INS Vikrant, but a small band of enthusiastic retired navy officers, who once took pride in flying operational sorties from her deck, are keen to keep her memory alive.
The ex-squadron, led by pilot Commodore Medioma Bhada (retd), want to buy up remnants of the country’s first aircraft carrier that is being reduced to scrap at Darukhana, Mazgaon, and build a memorial of the parts. They hope to acquire a traffic island in south Mumbai, close to the naval establishment, and convert it into the INS Vikrant Memorial.
“A group of naval officers want to erect a memorial to the iconic aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The idea is to erect a sculpted open air memorial at a traffic island in south Mumbai. The sculpture will consist of a small aesthetic structure erected from metal retrieved from Vikrant, which is being dismantled at Darukhana,” reads the letter Bhada wrote to Kunte.
Bhada took part in the Bangladesh battle, including flying into war-torn Chittagong. He said Vikrant was called the ‘Grand Old Lady’, and pilots referred to her as ‘Mother’ while flying.
“Along with my squadron mates, I have flown operational sorties from her deck during the 1971 Bangladesh war, and we are proud of the fact that INS Vikrant played a pivotal roll in the early outcome of that war,” Bhada told Mumbai Mirror on Wednesday.
“She was finally decommissioned in 1997, and initially a lot of enthusiasm was displayed by all, including the navy, the state and central government, to preserve her as a museum. However, she was finally sold to a scrap dealer last year and is now in the final stages of disappearance at Darukhana,” he said.
Bhada served in the navy for over 30 years, and shares an emotional bond with Vikrant. The idea to commemorate the vessel dawned on him as no memorial to the historic ship exists in the city.
He shared the thought with members of the Navy Foundation, who are now scouting the remnants of the ship which has been broken down completely. “We are trying to procure whatever we can. I’ve identified few parts and it depends on how much funds we can generate. I’m even looking to shell out my own money,” he said.
Bhada and his former colleagues have roped in sculptor Kaizan Khambatta to design the memorial. The navy too has offered help, and once the scrap is procured, it will be kept at a naval establishment in Worli till the traffic island is allotted.
Khambatta has already toured the ship-breaking yard and has told Bhada that a memorial could be made from the remaining parts. So far, Bhada has got hold of the original name plates with ‘Vikrant’ inscribed in bold letters in Hindi and English, shafts, parts of the anchor chain, some internal wheels and steel sheets.
Bhada, however, rues the fact that they are not able to procure the main anchor. “We wanted the main steel anchor, but it is too huge and heavy [it is the size of a large four-wheeler]. I don’t think we will be able to afford it. And even if we do, no traffic island will be able to accommodate it. I am looking for a steel sheet from the carrier’s flight deck. I hope we can find one,” Bhada said.
While the cost of the remnants will be around Rs 2-3 lakh, the entire cost of the memorial has not yet been estimated.
“We are looking for some corporates to support us and take up the project as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. Once the memorial is ready, we will also have to find someone to maintain it. The navy is supportive of the project, and we hope BMC will support us too,” Bhada said.
Incidentally, scrap dealers said that the parts were being sold for around Rs 25 to Rs 50 per kilo, depending on whether they were made of steel, brass, nickel or iron. When Mirror contacted the BMC, Commissioner Kunte said, “We have received the proposal and are looking into the matter.”
Another BMC officer said that the Navy Foundation wants a traffic island near Kalaghoda, Colaba or the Fort area that is easily accessible to people and is also close to the naval establishment. “Once the proposal is formally approved, we will identify a suitable traffic island then complete the required formalities,” the officer said.
HERO OF THE ’71 WAR
» Vikrant was originally ordered as Hercules by UK’s Royal Navy, but with the end of World War II construction was suspended
» In January 1957, she was sold to India and towed to Belfast to complete construction
» On March 4, 1961, she was commissioned into the navy as India’s first aircraft carrier
» Vikrant put in over 20 years of distinguished service, playing a crucial role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, but by the early 1990s, was effectively out of service because of her poor condition
» Despite overhauls, she was rarely put to sea and was decommissioned on Jan 31, 1997
» From 1997 to 2012, she was preserved as a museum ship, until it was closed in 2012 due to safety concerns
» In August 2013, it was decided to scrap Vikrant as she had become “difficult to maintain”
» In January 2014, Vikrant was sold to a ship-breaker for Rs 60 crore, but awaited final clearances due to a PIL challenging the scrapping
» On Nov 12, 2014, Supreme Court gave final approval and scrapping began 10 days later
The nation might have lost its hero of the ’71 war, the INS Vikrant, but a small band of enthusiastic retired navy officers, who once took pride in flying operational sorties from her deck, are keen to keep her memory alive.
The ex-squadron, led by pilot Commodore Medioma Bhada (retd), want to buy up remnants of the country’s first aircraft carrier that is being reduced to scrap at Darukhana, Mazgaon, and build a memorial of the parts. They hope to acquire a traffic island in south Mumbai, close to the naval establishment, and convert it into the INS Vikrant Memorial.
A proposal has been submitted to Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte, and the BMC is ‘processing’ the proposal.
“A group of naval officers want to erect a memorial to the iconic aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The idea is to erect a sculpted open air memorial at a traffic island in south Mumbai. The sculpture will consist of a small aesthetic structure erected from metal retrieved from Vikrant, which is being dismantled at Darukhana,” reads the letter Bhada wrote to Kunte.
Bhada took part in the Bangladesh battle, including flying into war-torn Chittagong. He said Vikrant was called the ‘Grand Old Lady’, and pilots referred to her as ‘Mother’ while flying.
“Along with my squadron mates, I have flown operational sorties from her deck during the 1971 Bangladesh war, and we are proud of the fact that INS Vikrant played a pivotal roll in the early outcome of that war,” Bhada told Mumbai Mirror on Wednesday.
“She was finally decommissioned in 1997, and initially a lot of enthusiasm was displayed by all, including the navy, the state and central government, to preserve her as a museum. However, she was finally sold to a scrap dealer last year and is now in the final stages of disappearance at Darukhana,” he said.
Bhada served in the navy for over 30 years, and shares an emotional bond with Vikrant. The idea to commemorate the vessel dawned on him as no memorial to the historic ship exists in the city.
He shared the thought with members of the Navy Foundation, who are now scouting the remnants of the ship which has been broken down completely. “We are trying to procure whatever we can. I’ve identified few parts and it depends on how much funds we can generate. I’m even looking to shell out my own money,” he said.
Bhada and his former colleagues have roped in sculptor Kaizan Khambatta to design the memorial. The navy too has offered help, and once the scrap is procured, it will be kept at a naval establishment in Worli till the traffic island is allotted.
Khambatta has already toured the ship-breaking yard and has told Bhada that a memorial could be made from the remaining parts. So far, Bhada has got hold of the original name plates with ‘Vikrant’ inscribed in bold letters in Hindi and English, shafts, parts of the anchor chain, some internal wheels and steel sheets.
Bhada, however, rues the fact that they are not able to procure the main anchor. “We wanted the main steel anchor, but it is too huge and heavy [it is the size of a large four-wheeler]. I don’t think we will be able to afford it. And even if we do, no traffic island will be able to accommodate it. I am looking for a steel sheet from the carrier’s flight deck. I hope we can find one,” Bhada said.
While the cost of the remnants will be around Rs 2-3 lakh, the entire cost of the memorial has not yet been estimated.
“We are looking for some corporates to support us and take up the project as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. Once the memorial is ready, we will also have to find someone to maintain it. The navy is supportive of the project, and we hope BMC will support us too,” Bhada said.
Incidentally, scrap dealers said that the parts were being sold for around Rs 25 to Rs 50 per kilo, depending on whether they were made of steel, brass, nickel or iron. When Mirror contacted the BMC, Commissioner Kunte said, “We have received the proposal and are looking into the matter.”
Another BMC officer said that the Navy Foundation wants a traffic island near Kalaghoda, Colaba or the Fort area that is easily accessible to people and is also close to the naval establishment. “Once the proposal is formally approved, we will identify a suitable traffic island then complete the required formalities,” the officer said.
HERO OF THE ’71 WAR
» Vikrant was originally ordered as Hercules by UK’s Royal Navy, but with the end of World War II construction was suspended
» In January 1957, she was sold to India and towed to Belfast to complete construction
» On March 4, 1961, she was commissioned into the navy as India’s first aircraft carrier
» Vikrant put in over 20 years of distinguished service, playing a crucial role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, but by the early 1990s, was effectively out of service because of her poor condition
» Despite overhauls, she was rarely put to sea and was decommissioned on Jan 31, 1997
» From 1997 to 2012, she was preserved as a museum ship, until it was closed in 2012 due to safety concerns
» In August 2013, it was decided to scrap Vikrant as she had become “difficult to maintain”
» In January 2014, Vikrant was sold to a ship-breaker for Rs 60 crore, but awaited final clearances due to a PIL challenging the scrapping
» On Nov 12, 2014, Supreme Court gave final approval and scrapping began 10 days later
