The Sameness of Being

Smruti D

The stillness of winter had set in on the morning of December 3 in Delhi. The sun, burning through several layers of smog, made temperatures on the lawns of Kota house pleasant enough for Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral R. Hari Kumar’s first press conference. A day ahead of Navy Day, with a number of journalists and naval officers in attendance, the Chief declared the year’s Navy Day theme as ‘Indian Navy: Combat Ready, Credible, Cohesive Force’. Since Navy Day is celebrated on December 4 to commemorate the Indian Navy’s attack on Karachi harbour, 2021 marked 50 years of that event. It was being celebrated as the ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ in India.

Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Hari Kumar addressing the press

In his opening remarks, Admiral Kumar said as a primary manifestation of India’s maritime power, the Indian Navy stands ready to fulfil its mandate to protect our national interests in maritime domain. Regarding the India-China standoff in Ladakh, he said, “Security situation on India’s northern borders has added to our security complexities.” As the conference progressed, the Navy Chief touched upon different topics concerning the Navy.

In terms of operational readiness, he said, “Our ‘Mission Based Deployment’ philosophy has enhanced the Indian Navy’s presence across the region, enabling rapid responses to emerging security challenges. The Indian Navy has established a persistent footprint in our areas of interest. Naval deployments also serve as a deterrent to inimical interests, clearly signalling the Navy’s reach, capability and intent.”

Regarding the navy’s efforts to combat Covid, he said that the Indian Navy had played a role of ‘care-giver’ during the pandemic. Listing the efforts, he said that 10 naval ships, under the aegis of Operation Samudra Setu II, transhipped more than 1100 Metric Tons of Liquid Medical Oxygen to India. “Missions Sagar III to VII,” he said, “reiterated India’s commitment to the region, as IN ships and aircrafts provided COVID assistance to eight friendly foreign countries across the oceans through deployment of Naval medical teams, medicines, vaccines and humanitarian aid.” He added that despite the disruptive impact of the pandemic, the navy had maintained its operational readiness and tempo through pro