A VISIT TO INA EZHIMALA
‘Ezhimala’ a remote location on this Globe and a word that was unknown, shot to fame when the largest Naval Academy was inaugurated by former PM Shri Manmohan Singh on 08 Jun 2009, at Ezhimala (the land of 7 hills : Ezhi-7 mala-hill) on the north Kerala Coast and dedicated to the Nation and the Indian Navy to chisel and groom future Naval Leadership. This has been a third stellar Avatar of this Navy’s premier institution, after its inception at Cochin and later shift to Goa.
GENESIS
In the pre-independence era the cadets of RIN were being trained in Dartmoth, UK. In 1949, the Officers’ training for the Navy began at Joint Services Wing (JSW), Dehradun. The National Defence Academy (NDA) was established in 1954 for all three services. By 1968, the Navy realised that it needed its own Academy to keep up with its expansion. In May 1969, Indian Naval Academy was established in Cochin with then Cdr L Ramdas (Later CNS) as its First Commandant. (The Nonagenarian Legend and his adorable Lady Lolly are Senior NFMC members, who have made Alibaug their post retirement abode.)
In 1986 the Academy shifted from Cochin to INS Mandovi in Goa. In 1979, the GoI had approved the development of a new campus for the Indian Naval Academy. The sites considered were
A) Aruvankadu near the Pykara Dam Lake, Nilgiri Hills.
B) A site near the Bhatghar Dam near Pune.
C) Hesaraghatta Lake near Bangalore.
D) Porbandar on the Saurashtra coast.
E) Chengalpattu on the Tamil Nadu coast.
F) A coastal site north Kannur on the Kerala coast. The Kerala Govt. was keen to host the academy God's own country and offered the Navy 960 hectares at Ezhimala. It also offered essential infrastructure facilities like Ezhimala's water and electricity supply, approach roads and bridges, capital dredging of the Kavvayi backwaters (for basic rowing and small boat training), construction of a seawall to prevent erosion, as well as expansion of the nearest railway station at no cost to the Navy. (The Ezhimala site is located on the capital of the Mooshika Kingdom, who were rivals and later allies of the Zamorin rulers of Kozhikode. The Zamorins had a strong fleet of warships under the Kunjali Marakkars which defeated the Portuguese in Naval battles in the 16th century.)
In 1982, the Government approved the construction of the Academy at Ezhimala. On 17 Jan 1987 foundation stone of INA was laid by then PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi, however after the 90’s economic crisis, construction resumed by turn of the century and INS Zamorin the support base depot of INA was commissioned on 06 Apr 2005. Finally On 8 January 2009 the Indian Naval Academy, was inaugurated by then PM Dr Manmohan Singh. The first Commandant of the INA, Ezhimala was Vice Admiral MP Muralidharan and the first Deputy Commandant was Rear Admiral Kapil Gupta. INHS Navjivani, which was commissioned in 2012, is a 64-bed Naval hospital in the campus that provides healthcare to cadets and staff. On reporting at the Academy, cadets are assigned one of the 6 squadrons, namely -Achiever, Braveheart, Cheetah, Daredevil, Eagle and Fighter, which are planned to be increased to 16. The present strength of cadets is 780 though the Academy can cater for 1200. The present Commandant is VAdm Puneet Kumar Bahl, AVSM, VSM.
THE VISIT
The ice-breaking moment for the visit of a few NFMC members to the Premier Naval Training Academy germinated, when in a gathering in mid Jul our CinC VAdm DK Tripathi suggested to Cdr Vadhera, President NFMC, a visit to INA, of which he had been a former Commandant. Soon liaison was established with VAdm PK Bahl, the present Commandant and a visit to INA Ezhimala firmed up for 15-18 Sep 2023, during mid-term break for the cadets. Despite reservations 2 months in advance in Netravati Express, all 17 (7 Veterans & 10 ladies) got wait-listed. But with assurance from FOMA and MCO, surprisingly all got confirmed on the departure eve, thanks to the intervention of CFO of Western Railways, Mrs Anita Sarmah (wife of our NFMC member Capt MK Sarmah, MUM-0574).
The fortunate few who visited INA are:
(Numbers restricted due to shortage of appropriate accommodation in INA)
A WhatsApp group was formed by Team Leader Cdr Vijay Vadhera to keep everyone on the same page for planning and execution. Cdr SK Sharma and Cdr & Mrs Man Singh, though included in the initial list had dropped out, due to their pressing commitment. More than the members, Cdr Vadhera missed his Life- companion, the charming and ever smiling Mrs Sunita Vadhera, who had an inescapable family function to attend back home.
The excitement in the Whatsapp group was visible even as Cdr Vadhera updated the members regularly regarding the itinerary of the visit being chalked out by INA Staff Officer. It was a bliss relief for all when the reservations started getting confirmed sequentially on the departure eve.
14 SEP 2023
All members converged to LTT Railway station for the Netravati Exp departing at 1120 hrs, barring Cdr Vadhera and Cdr & Mrs GC Rai, who were to embark from Panvel. Raj Farokh and Meena got down at the next station to welcome and snap the team leader, but found him missing on the remote outer platform, only to later realise that it was Thane and not Panvel. After we received him at next stn Panvel, the A-1 Coupe was euphoric with merriment, as it was the first outstation outing for the committee after the 2 Picnics at INS Hamla earlier. Most were travelling first time on the Konkan route and marvelled at the scenic beauty the route had to offer, thanks to Dr E Sreedharan who executed this gigantic project effectively and efficiently, despite the Railways fund crunch. Meena converted her lower berth into a buffet spread with assorted Pot-Luck dishes brought in by ladies. Anahita had pooled in good variety. One particular incident worth remembering is when, Cdr Vadhera after dinner was telling us, to tell his wife how much he missed her, only to realise that he was on Meena’s camera. The expression on his face with No, No, No…and the childish laughter was priceless.(I am sure it puts a smile on the readers’ face too.)
15 SEP 2023
The INA Bus was at the station, when the train reached Payyanur, 8 km north of INA. Vijay Chauhan, L/S, a smart sailor in his camouflage uniform received us with baggage party. Through the winding roads of North Kerala we reached the INA gate. The quick security check expeditious, albeit we were amazed by the hugeness of the base, when the bus drove through for about 10 kms to the Guest houses ‘Sagar Kinare Kutir’ overlooking a Beach. The 26 Guest houses were marvellous and are occupied throughout the year. After a delicious breakfast in our rooms as we approached the Bus we saw the INA First Lady, Mrs Anjali Bahl, with a queenly demeanor chatting with our ladies on the road, it was a pleasure to meet her and interact with her, even as Meena quickly captured us in her camera. We boarded the Bus and were escorted to the Teak Conference Hall, where we were welcomed by the Principal RAdm Rajvir Singh along with Offg DepCom Cmde Mukherjee and the Flotilla Cdr. After the formal introductions, a PPT briefing on INA and a detailed movie was screened highlighting the evolution of INA, the Cadet entries and the training imparted in the Largest Naval Academy of Asia. All queries were well addressed by the Staff. We were then escorted for Tea with Commandant in the Admin building Nalanda Foyer, where VAdm Puneet Bahl greeted and Welcomed us. Adm Bahl had been my smart flying pupil as a Lt on Islanders, with smooth Instrument flying at Garuda in 1987. After informal chit-chat we came to the main entrance for a group Photo and presentation by Commandant.
The Beer & Buffet Lunch back in Sagar Kinare Hut, overlooking the beach, was exquisite. After a short siesta our Liaison sailor escorted us to the Mount Delly light house atop the 260 m hill and the WTC complex for a boat ride. (Photos and Videos below). In the evening we went to URU Officers' Institute for Karaoke practice where the nominated Judges Dr Kanta Mukherjee, LtCdr Farokh Tarapore and WgCdr Uday Kolhatkar firmed up the singers of 4 Solos and 2 Duets for next evening’s formal Karaoke function, where Comdt and all Offrs with ladies had been invited by President NFMC. LtCdr Hema helped us out in the institute's Karaoke system. Cdr Vadhera befriended Lt Parul Singh, whose Father is a Doctor in Ayodhya. Our outing next year is proposed for Ayodhya dham.
In the morning while Farokh was executing single handed push-ups in his room a viper slithered to compete with him, Cdr Vadhera took a snap and posted it to Comdt. The Fire-brigade personnel came and bagged him to relocate it to its habitat. There was another Cobra spotted in Rekha’s garden, but slithered away. The forenoon was dedicated to visit the training facilities of INA. After wholesome breakfast in our rooms, we boarded the Bus and went to the equestrian stables and met the friendly horses. OIC RVC briefed us about the equestrian events being conducted at INA. Dr Kanta queried about the common diseases that horses ail from. We offered grass to the horses and took selfies with them. Next we went to the state of Art small arms firing Range ‘Arjun Baffle’ and the MC GI briefed us on the dynamic ranges and automated targets. This was followed by a visit to the Mulla Aquatics complex and the Daredevil Squadron. We were shown the cadets room that accommodates twin sharing on double decker cots, the Squadron Ante-room, Katari Cadets' Mess that can cater for 2000 diners at a time, Marine Engineering Bay, Radar Lab, Panini Library. Everyone tried a hand at the Firing Simulator. The last training visit was to the twin Bridge Simulators, that were captained by Cdr Vadhera and Farokh respectively with the balance members ‘Aadhe idhar and aadhe udhar’ as crew. The two ships entered Cochin harbour at dusk hours in drizzle and berthed on the SBW jetties. We are thankful to the Training Coord and Dy Registrat (Admin) for coordinating our visit. Later we visited the Souvenir shop for the ladies to pickup a few items.
The training visit was a bit stretched and we homed back to our Kutirs for chilled beer and steaming hot Buffet Lunch. After Siesta we were fresh for the Karaoke Evening at URU Offrs Institute, starting at 7pm.
Ø Mrs Mukti Ghosh
Ø Cdr Raj Dutta
Ø Surg LtCdr Ashish Jain
Ø Cdr Vadhera & Mrs Amrita Roy
Ø Cdr Anoop Verma
Ø Cdr Vittesh Pandey
Ø Cdr Manjul Mayank
17 SEP 2023
In the morning, as per program we drove to WTC located at Ramanthali on the Kavvayi backwaters, coordinated by LtCdr Pednekar. We were looking forward to a competitive sailing Race between the Veterans team lead by Farokh and the INA Sailing team, which did not materialise due to poor winds followed by drizzle. So while our Arjuna awardee Farokh gave the Cadets advance lessons and finer tips on competitive sailing, rest of us Fun-cruised on the speed boats in the backwaters and had a gala whilst capturing the precious moments on our mobiles. (Photos and Videos below)
After the chilled Beer and steaming lunch at the Sagar Kinare Hut, afternoon siesta was essential to be recharged for the evening Ezhimala House Boat cruise in the Northern Cheruvathur backwater. We left our place at 5 pm and after an hour long bus drive reached the picturesque location at the backwaters, about 40 kms North of Payyanur. The elagant double decker House-boat owner, Mr Dinesh is a smart Martial arts trainer who had a short stint as a Naval communications sailor (Ham Radio c/s VU3TDH). He and his crew welcomed us on his beautiful houseboat colourfully lit. Sweet coconut was offered as welcome drink after which we were shown around. Soon we were cruising in the backwater. Dinesh sang a melodious song in our honour, setting the ball rolling for us to follow and showcase our talent once again third day in a row, spear-headed by our Team Leader. Others who crooned were Mukti Ghosh, Meenakshi, Anoop Verma, Raj, Muanjul Mayank, Alka and Sonali. For next hour and half the singers regaled us on the Top deck of the houseboat, as the ladies and gents danced on the floor. It was merry making at our best. The find of the evening was Sonali Bharti, the melody princess with a golden voice as fresh as morning dew. Cdr Vadhera nominated her for all our social evenings. The authentic Kerala spread was unbelievable with Appam, two varieties of fish, etc topped up with mouth watering local sweet dish. Unfortunately Anahita had been ill with fever and relaxed in the lower deck cabin with a combiflam.
Coming alongside at around 2200 hrs was smooth.salutes to the boat-handling skill of the QM. We all thanked Dinesh for the wonderful hospitality extended to us personally by him and his crew. The drive-back to INA was smooth.
18-19 Sep 2023
Cdr Manish, in preparing the itinerary had thoughtfully left the last day for Rest and Recreation. Cdr Vadhera arranged for a massage for most of us to Rest in the forenoon, while Meena escorted the rest few for Recreational visit to the Archaeological Temple, within the INA. (Photos and Videos attached). The Massage with or without steam was a great relaxative towards the end of the Tour. All of us individually cleared our Bills, gathered at the Sagar Kinare Hut for Buffet Lunch and instructed the mess staff for the packed meals for our Netrawati Exp scheduled to depart at 7 pm from Payyanur.
In the train, Meena’s Berth was reconverted into a Buffet galley for dinner, before we plonked on our berths. Poor Anahita still had fever, while Farokh took care of her. Next morning she felt a bit better. The assorted breakfast and Lunch was delectable, with Anahita’s snacks as accompaniment. The train enroute was getting late, albeit the unending Fun and laughter continued till the evening.
Sam No Varunah
Jai Hind
FEED FORWARD & FEED BACK
Dear Admiral Bahl,
Thank you once again from the bottom of our heart & Best wishes for your new innings post retirement. It would be our privilege to have you as our Member wef 01 Jan 2024.
Sam No Varunah
Cdr Vijay Vadhera
(Retired but not yet Tired )
President NFMC
18 Sep 23
RESPONSE
GM and thankyou so much sir for the very kind words expressed for all of us at Ezhimala. Anjali joins me in conveying our good wishes to all of you. We are happy that you chose our location for the visit and had a nice stay. We wish speedy recovery to Mrs Malhan and Mrs Tarapore. Nice also to connect with you again after some years. Our best wishes always. Pse take care and warm regards
Puneet
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OK Guys, So out of 10, how much each individual member will rate this trip. Time starts now … Cdr Vadhera
Ø Sonali M Bharti: 10/10 for us too. Would have been better if we opted for one way train travel and on our way back by air. Barring the long n slow train journey, it was a memorable trip
(PS- The Blog wouldn’t have been complete without the active participation of Meena, who danced around taking snaps and later making the Reels for preserving the memories in foot-prints of Time to come. Do view the reels preserved in her youtube channel linked at the bottom)
