Commodore M Bhada (Retd)Convenor, Vikrant Memorial Forum
The Memorial opposite the Lion Gate in Memory of INS Vikrant, was jointly unveiled by VAdm SPS Cheema, FOC-in-C West & Shri Ajoy Mehta, Municipal Commissioner, MCGM, on Friday, 25th Jan 2016.
INS Vikrant, the first aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy, was commissioned in 1961 and after a glorious 36 years service to the Nation was decommissioned in 1997. During this period, she actively projected India’s Sea Power in the Indian Ocean region. The ship saw action in the 1971 Indo-Pak War operations in the Bay of Bengal and played an instrumental role in the defeat of Pakistan that led to the creation of a new Nation. It was owing to her presence in the Bay of Bengal that the Country’s promulgation of contraband control was effectively enforced by the use of integral air power, representing India’s multi-dimensional Sea Power.
Despite the concerted efforts of the Indian Navy, the State Govt and the Central Govt to preserve Vikrant as a Museum, she could not be retained and finally had to be sent to the scrapyard in 2014.
The dedication on the plaque reads as follows:
This Memorial is a living testimony of deep gratitude to a majestic ship, which chartered a glorious innings in the service of our Nation, from those to whom her deck was a haven of warmth and safety. Those who took forward her immeasurable legacy as pioneers of Indian Navy’s embarked aviation cadres. She played a vital role in the early victory of the 1971 War, representing India’s multi-dimensional Sea Power. We, her shipmates, offer this little monument to the iconic Aircraft Carrier, Indian Naval Ship VIKRANT, fabricated from her recovered memorabilia, as an offering of our everlasting tribute.
This project was conceived and spearheaded single handedly by Commodore Medioma Bhada (Retd), an ex-pilot from Vikrant who acquired the parts of the ship from the scrapyard and donated them for this memorial. The monument was designed and created by Mr Arzan Khambatta, a sculptor known to bring life to metal, who has retained the pristine condition of the parts whilst projecting iconic Vikrant’s Air Power.