Midnight's Children

From the top deck of the Indian Naval Ship Mysore, the Arabian Sea looks like a vast expanse of blue silk. It is 5 p.m. and as I stand there admiring the sea, a sense of loneliness washes over me. There are 400 sailors aboard the warship which started its journey from Mumbai, but never in my life had I such an intense feeling of being alone. After a while the sun goes down and darkness engulfs the indigenously-built destroyer. I expect the lights to come on almost instantly but the ship proceeds in the darkness despite its 4.5 MW generator. I climb down to the captain's bridge to do a bit of investigation. There are no lights there either, only the glow from the computer screens and instrument panels. I pin down Captain C S Patham, commanding officer of INS Mysore, and ask him whether there is a power failure. He patiently explains that a combat ship normally travels in darkness to avoid enemy detection.

Despite its giant size, INS Mysore is a bare-boned structure with winding pipes and tubes supplying everything from electricity, water, air, fuel and fire-fighting gases to sophisticated computer and satellite communication signals that are vital to the ship's survival. Machines get priority over men: the living quarters are sparsely furnished and cramped. There are just two toilets and two bathrooms for 36 officers. It is dinner time and at the officers' lounge I am surprised by the thin attendance. Lieutenant Mandar Vichare, damage control officer, explains that it is rare when officers eat in large groups, thanks to the shift system. "At sea, we have no fixed sleeping hours either," he says. Most of them work up to 18 hours a day. Limited time for sleep and leisure has no effect on their composure, though.

In the alley (lounge) on the lower deck, I find seamen from all over India sharing jokes and working with clinical efficiency. The flight deck attendant from Andhra Pradesh can't hide his pleasure at going home on leave to be with his wife when she gives birth to their first child. "Not everyone is so fortunate," says Chief Petty Officer H. Sharma, without even a tinge of bitterness. "Many of us saw our children several months after they were born. But it is worse when we are sailing and someone dies at home." It is past midnight and our conversation breaks as the public address system comes alive. "Action stations," says a booming voice and there is a mad rush to the work stations. I am told that INS Mysore is moving southwest to intercept a truant merchant vessel carrying contraband goods and weapons. The announcement indicates that action is imminent. There is heightened activity as the men get ready to tackle the vessel.

While Petty Officer Hukum Chand is peering into the radarscope to locate the ship, Commander Sanjay Jha is getting the commando unit ready for the search and surveillance mission. Down below, in the sophisticated Electronic Warfare Office, Leading Radio Operator Birendra Singh and his men are scanning the air waves for signs of the ship. In another part of INS Mysore, Commander Brahma Prakash and his men are deploying missiles, anti-aircraft guns and other weapons. At the astern, helicopters take off to look for the truant ship. It takes less than five minutes for INS Mysore to get battle-ready. Petty Officer Chand locates the ship and the information is instantly passed on to other naval ships and helicopters patrolling the area. There is excitement in the air as the ships close in on the target and boarding parties are mustered. Seaman Sunil Jhakad from Rohtak, a member of the boarding party, drops the book he is reading and joins his colleague Rakesh, who hails from Kerala. The two friends share a joke and their bonhomie is touching.

Young Ramakrishnan of the electrical wing and his colleagues, supervised by Lieutenant Commander S K Pandey, give the motor boat that will take the commandos to the errant ship a once-over and lower it to the sea. It is 4 a.m., and Lt Cdr Pandey's men stealthily make their way through the choppy waters after the miscreant ship has been warned to submit itself for a thorough investigation. Captain Patham's threat of forcible entry and the futility of escape makes the vessel comply. As the commandos go into action mode, several pair of eyes peer through night-vision binoculars to detect any form of resistance. The commandos fan out to various areas on the ship and, after tense moments, the radio crackles into life: Lt Cdr Pandey has taken control of the ship and his men are conducting the search. While there has been no firing, a couple of his men have been slightly injured while getting on board. Commandos from INS Talwar, a stealth frigate, are sent to assist in the search. A report arrives a little after dawn saying that the operation has gone smoothly and the contraband goods and the men have been seized. The Coast Guard have been informed and till they arrive, Lt Cdr Pandey and his men have to remain on board the merchant vessel.

Normally, it is the wake-up time for all off-duty personnel. But today, with the night spent on action stations, the men move to their respective dining halls. Awaiting them is piping hot tea and pakodas, courtesy Ramjas Verma, the cook. At 6 a.m. I find myself in a queue of officers, wrapped in towels and ready for shower. Everyone gets five minutes to finish his shower. While the flush tanks have water throughout the day, taking bath is a luxury since fresh water supply is available only at fixed times and never for more than five minutes. I join Captain Patham for breakfast, and he informs me that INS Mysore and INS Talwar would undertake a series of exercises together. There is no time to relax. A short while later the two ships surge forward together at a speed of 30 knots. Men and material are transported between the two ships using a jackstay serial or a ropeway pulley system. I enter INS Talwar via Jackstay. "The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war," says Captain Satish Soni, the commanding officer, referring to the joint exercise. "At sea you not only keep vigil but also improve your efficiency by constant exercises and drills that help cope with any disaster."

	*(Below) Interior of INS Mysore, next to the helo deck where a HAL Chetak is parked.*
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*(Above) Watching TV on board INS Mysore* is certainly a luxury.**		(Above) Cruising stations: It is time for some light talk at the lunch table.

Lieutenant Abhishek Simlai of Kolkata, who took me on a tour of INS Talwar, is as fluent in Russian as he is in Bengali, Hindi and English. In fact, most of the staff on board is fluent in Russian. The reason is not far to seek. The design and mechanics of the Russian-built ship required the entire crew to be trained in St. Petersburg. Rajendra Yadav from Bhiwani in Haryana even has a diploma in computer science from Pushkin University. At noon, I witness amazing and accurate fire-power demonstration. The men, who have not even taken a coffee-break, seem to have taken the ship's maxim - aim for perfection, excellence is expected - to their heart. As the rays of the sun bend a little, I am transported back to my host ship via helicopter. Lt Cdr S B Subramaniam, the pilot who went out for the reconnaissance sortie in the night, is in charge. Flying, he says, is a passion that helps overcome all fears.

As I land on INS Mysore, I learn that the Coast Guard have taken over the errant ship, giving the commandos a well-earned rest. But for the others, it is time for another exercise to test their skills in the event of a chemical warfare. There is a rush to close all external approaches to the ship. The experts, donning masks, spread out into all the nooks and crannies of the external decks looking for chemical or inflammable substances. After a thorough search, they call for extensive scrubbing of the decks to remove traces of the irritant liquids. While the sunset is a moment for quiet reflection for landlubbers like me, for the seamen it is the time for extra vigilance. Lookouts A K Maurya and S. Shankar know there would be no respite tonight in view of the extensive, coordinated anti-submarine exercises.

INS Mysore's sonar control room is busy. All eyes are on Underwater Controller Dipankar Bharali, whose ears are glued to a speaker emitting noises generated by propellers of ships and submarines. As the sea is rough tonight and many ships are operating in the vicinity, it is a tough task identifying the sound produced by the submarine. But Dipankar is an old hand and does his job with astonishing efficiency. By midnight, Dipankar leaves his post a contended man. Back in his living space, he is greeted by colleague Amit Kumar, who has his shift from midnight to 4 a.m. Dipankar briefs Amit about the whereabouts of the ship. As Amit proceeds to his post, a tired but satisfied Dipankar climbs into the bunk.

Q. You are the son of a distinguished military officer. What prompted you to take up a career in the Navy?
A. I certainly knew that I was going to join the armed forces but I think there was this apprehension that if I got into the Army, I would always be compared with my father, Major General Bhagwati Singh, and my achievements would be attributed to his benefaction. So I opted for the Navy and I am glad I did so. It is remarkable that Rajasthan has given two chiefs to the Navy. Maybe, water holds a magnetic appeal to us, since we belong to the desert state!

Q. What was the Navy's contribution in the Indo-Pak war of 1971?
A. The Navy's bombing of Chittagong, Cox Bazaar and Karachi ports is well-known. Though General Niazi surrendered to the Army, the Navy contributed by cutting off all escape routes from the sea side. In fact, our patrolling on the western command sealed all routes of Pakistan's supply of arms, ammunition and oil to its forces in East Pakistan.

Q. What is the fleet strength of the Navy?
A. We have 140 ships, of which 16 are submarines. All the combatants are fitted with state-of-the-art equipment. We can protect the country's interests and borders from any kind of threat.

Q. Are we as well-equipped as our neighbours?
A. Naval defence requirements cannot be planned based only on what our neighbours possess because there are no clearly demarcated borders at sea and a threat could come from any side since international waters allow any naval force to go anywhere. Our trade and exports are mainly conducted through sea and only if our Navy is strong can we provide adequate protection to our commercial vessels. We are reasonably well-equipped but since ships have a specific lifespan, we need to continuously upgrade our vessels. As no war ships were ordered for the Navy from the mid-80s until about 1995, it left a big vacuum in the induction of warships and there will be a decline in the number of combatants as certain ships would need to be decommissioned on expiry of their lifespan. Hopefully, things will be better in future as the government has initiated remedial steps to bridge the gap at the earliest. We hope the procurement needs of the Navy would be adequately met. Nevertheless, Indian Navy has one of the strongest presence in the high seas and has the capability to meet any eventuality.

Q. There have been reports that the Navy is undertaking significant steps to enhance submarine capabilities.
A. The Centre has approved a comprehensive, 30-year submarine building programme. As to how modern or powerful these would be, is something I cannot say. But they would certainly be comparable to the best.

Q. Do our submarines have nuclear capability?
A. I can neither confirm nor deny that. All I can say is that today most other nuclear weapon states have nuclear-powered submarines and in fact they prefer to keep their nuclear deterrent in submarines so that they can be moving and hidden at all times. For a navy which has over 7,500 kilometres of border to safeguard, we have only one aircraft carrier. And INS Viraat will be decommissioned in a few years time. Money is the greatest hurdle for any developing nation like ours and one has to make do with the best of one's resources. As ships require regular maintenance to keep them sea worthy, India should ideally have at least three aircraft carriers, so that one each can be deployed in the eastern and western sectors and one for maintenance and refit. This demand has been accepted. We will get the Gorshkov aircraft carrier from Russia only in 2008, and Viraat will be decommissioned soon after. The navy is building an aircraft carrier at Kochi, which is expected to be commissioned in 2011. Gradually, the one aircraft carrier problem will be solved.

Q. Do you think our designers and scientists are equipped to meet the requirements of the navy?
A. We have always believed in indigenous capability, but now we are giving it a greater thrust to save time and money. Some of the finest ships like INS Mysore and INS Delhi have been built within the country and steps are under way to build a few more. Our designers and scientists are capable of meeting all our requirements, except may be manufacturing certain kinds of weapons, which I believe they will be able to do in a few years time. We are developing indigenous capability so as not to depend on foreign sources. That is why in all our recent agreements, we have made it imperative for the suppliers to provide the know-how to our people.

Q. You had said that nuclear retaliatory capability should be distributed equally among all the three wings of defence.
A. Logically, it makes sense to have the retaliatory capability available to all the three constituents of the defence forces. From time immemorial, all the great conquests were made from seaside. Sea waters certainly provide the best route and safest cover for retaliatory capability.

Q. Indian Navy is having joint exercises with fleets of other nations. What are the reasons and advantages of holding them?
A. The maritime domain is rapidly changing. Today, a navy is not just for safeguarding your borders. It is also an instrument of state policy. There are common concerns like terrorism, protection of sea lines of communication, piracy and transportation of weapons of mass destruction. With the growing concern about international terrorism, it is necessary that on account of its unique location, size and potential in the Indian Ocean, India plays a more meaningful role. Besides, we also learn from one another.

Q. Wouldn't such sharing allow other nations an insight into our planning?
A. We only share ideas and information related to tackling terrorism and piracy and means of improving our combined skills of search and rescue missions. It is a learning process.

Q. Why should India dip its toes in the South China Sea, where China, Vietnam and the Philippines are quarrelling? Is India doing this in discreet cooperation with the United States to outflank China?
A. Our joint exercises in the Malacca Straits were part of Indo-US efforts against international terrorism.

Q. There is a feeling that the numerical strength of the armed forces is dwindling and that the Navy, too, is feeling the pinch. Do you agree?
A. No, I don't. We have a problem of plenty. We are getting very capable officers and sailors.

Q. How do you plan to spend time after retirement?
A. I will settle down in my hometown, Jaipur, and tend to my farm. I will try and contribute my energies in whatever possible way to the ex-servicemen's cause and do some welfare work in villages around my farm. But what I really look forward to is spending more time with my family, particularly my grandchildren!

	MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN
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