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 There
was Kerala Governor Shiela Dikshit as the Chief
Guest on the occasion blessing the young officers
on behalf of the President of the country. There
was Academy Commandant Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar
P looking at them with satisfaction and hope.
And then there were their parents who were perhaps
the proudest, some of them with tears of joy in
their eyes, as they were the ones who put the
ranks – or shipping of stripes – on the shoulders
of their children.
The highly modern INA was commissioned here in
2009, and this is the third B Tech course – 86th
for the Navy – that graduated from here. Earlier,
cadets were trained at the Naval Academy in Goa.
 Spread
over some 2500 acres, the scenic academy on India’s
south-western seaboard on the Arabian Sea, was
built to the designs of a husband-wife team of
Chandigarh-based architects, late Mr Satnam Singh
and Mrs Namita Singh.
Vice Admiral Kumar told India strategic
that the training today is much different than
it used to be. “There is emphasis on Science,
Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM subjects)
on the one hand and an equal emphasis on arts,
horse riding, martial skills, weapons, electronics
and sports.”
“You got to be the best in all as we need the best in all, the winners,” he observed, and told the
parents: You give us a girl or a boy; we give you back a confident lady or a gentleman officer.
 He
pointed out that officers do go in for higher
M Tech courses also. And all naval officers have
to be proficient in sciences.
Notably, a day before, on 30th May, 52 cadets
were awarded B Tech degrees in Mechanical Engineering
(ME) and Electronics and Communication Engineering
(ECE) by Vice Chancellor Prof Sudhir K Sopory
of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), to which
the INA is affiliated.
The inspiring and impressive passing out parade,
or POP, was marked by celebratory shouts, and
in some cases push-ups in accordance with their
traditions. The key was the spirit of joy pervasive
all over. Deputy Commandant Rear Admiral G V Ravindran,
Principal Rear Admiral K B Mehta, and all instructors
were equally proud.
After all, this was a new generation of naval
officers who would be at the helm of the Navy
in the coming years. “We have to look up to them
for our future,” said Vice Adm Kumar P.
Another impressive feature of the parade was
that 26 lady officers, both from the Navy and
Indian Coast Guard (ICG), were among those successful.
 One
of the officers commissioned May 31 was Sub Lt
Vivek Pant, a 4th generation officer in the Indian
armed forces. His father, grandfather and great
grandfather have all been in the Indian Army.
His father, Brig (Dr) Mukul Raj Pant, a serving
officer, and Mrs Pant, were both there along with
their daughter at the ceremony to put the epaulettes
on their son.
Brig Pant recalled that his grandfather, Subedar
Bhagirath Pant had retired from the Army in 1948
while his father, Major BK Pant (Rajput Regiment)
had martyred in 1962 in the battle for Thagla
in the India-China war. Both the parents said
they looked at their son to become a great officer
in the Navy. Brig Pant’s relations are also there
in the armed forces to the true traditions of
the family.
Ceremonially, the parade was reviewed by Mrs Dikshit, and she awarded medals to several meritorious
cadets. All the officers took oath of allegiance to the Indian Constitution.
The President’s Gold Medal for the cadet adjudged
first in the overall merit in the Indian Naval
Academy Course (INAC) was awarded to Divisional
Cadet Captain Sangram R Kashirsagar; Chief of
Naval Staff (CNS) Gold Medal for overall merit
in Naval Orientation (Extended) to probationary
Sub Lt Abhishek Sharma; and CNS Gold Medal for
being first in overall merit in Naval Orientation
(Regular) to Cherian Johny.
Probationary Asstt Commandant Shipra Nayar from the Indian Coast Guard was awarded the Flag Officer
Commanding in Chief (South) Gold Medal for being the best lady cadet of the 86th course.
The glittering ceremony culminated with the successful cadets forming up in two columns and marching
with their gleaming swords in salute past the Quarterdeck (saluting base) in slow march to the traditional
tune of Auld Lang Syne, the farewell tune played worldwide by armed forces of many countries.
Two Naval Dorniers, one Coast Guard Dornier, one Il 38, one Tu 142, and finally the latest and most
modern acquisition of the Navy, a Boeing P8-I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft, did a
fly past in perfect synchronization with the passing-out parade.
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