Navy Day fete today

KOCHI: The nation will celebrate Navy Day on December 4, commemorating the audacious attack on Karachi harbour by Indian missile boats in 1971. The Southern Naval Command will begin celebrations at daybreak when eminent citizens of Kochi led by the mayor will join Vice Admiral K N Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, to pay homage at the War Memorial at the Naval Base. A new memorial, ‘On Eternal Watch’, depicting the vigilant watch on the bridge of a warship is also being commissioned by Kunnath S Raju, the senior most Sailor of the Southern Naval Command. The memorial will invoke the contributions of all past mariners in the growth of the Indian Navy. The Southern Naval Command will conduct the traditional Beating Retreat Ceremony at Command Parade Ground, Naval Base, on December 4 at 5 pm. Small arms drill and fly past of Naval aircraft is also being organised along with band performance.Dominic Presentation MLA, Hibi Eden MLA, Cochin Port Trust Chairman Paul Antony, District Collector Sheik Pareeth, former Vice Chief of Naval Staff Raman Prem Suthan, Brigadier S K Khanna, DIG T K Sathish Chandran and representatives of Veteran Sailors Forum and Ex-servicemen Associations are expected to participate in the celebration.