Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (NR) 

Mangalore, Dec 18: As part of the extended festivities for Navy Day which is usually celebrated on December 4 every year, this year too it was observed with the offshore patrolling vehicle of the Indian Navy, INS Sharada on display especially for the school children, by the southern naval command in the city.   

INS Sharada was first purchased from Korea in August 1987 and is primarily used for defence protection of off-shore installations and patrol of the exclusive economic zones of the country such as Kochi, Mumbai and Visakhapatanam ports. The ship was deployed during 'Operation Sagittarius', covering 20,000 nautical miles in 2002. It is also involved in escorting high value vessels.  

This year INS Sharada and its crew have come all the way from Kochi naval base for this event. Nearly thousand school children clustered together and thronged the New Mangalore Port (NMP) on Monday December 18 to gawk at the huge naval ship at close quarters. In fact even on Sunday December 17 around 1,050 children had come to have a look at INS Sharada. Moreover on the occasion eighteen visually impaired students from a school run by National Federation of the Blind in the city visited the ship.  

According to Lieutenant commander Prakash Maharaj, the officer in-charge of electronics in the ship, their main aim is to motivate the children of the region to serve nation by becoming part of the Indian Navy. On a personal note he informed that he had spent the most exciting times in all his years on the ship. On a sober note he stated that when it is work time there is "complete professionalism" however, when its party time "we all go berserk,” he added.  

Asserting that a naval career is a great career option for aspiring youth, surgeon lieutenant commander Hemant Kumar, who is the vessel’s medical officer informed that the facilities and remuneration provided on ship "matches the best in the corporate sector.” But what sets life apart in the Navy, according to him, is the challenging work environment and the relationships that one develops with one’s colleagues. According to him the pain and hardships they suffer at sea, make bonds between them to last a lifetime.