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Port Blair: On Wednesday evening, Ross Island looked and felt much like the ‘Paris of the East’ that it was known as nearly 150 years ago when the British first set foot there. Coconut palms swayed in the breeze as the Navy took its foreign guests through a cultural voyage on an open-air stage set amidst small red structures that used to be Japanese bunkers during World War II.
“Bahut achchha (Very nice)!” a uniformed figure hailed, raising his glass for a toast. Nothing uncommon with that save for the fact that the officer is from the Indonesian navy. Before long, the group around him increases. Men in white get together to join two tables and make room for nearly a dozen people. In the next half hour, officers from Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia and India are having the time of their lives.
“Hey, that’s ‘Gangnam Style’. I know it. It was released in 2012,” a Myanmarese officer notes. A Malaysian naval officer asks an Indonesian one: “What’s your age, young man? Twenty-eight, is it? That’s how old my girlfriend is. That is one of them, I mean.” There is another round of boisterous laughter.
The Navy has tried to explain the meaning of the word ‘Milan' to the foreigners as a ‘coming together’, ‘a meeting’ or ‘a gathering of people’. The 2014 edition of Ex Milan has done exactly that. It has brought together people from 17 nations (including India). For a while, career officers like Oktri Handoni, Syahnaz, Ray Ong, Lee and Deepak Dewan have crossed over territorial boundaries and turned into international citizens.
Commander Dave McEwan of the New Zealand navy stands nearby. “We are giving India a walloping in cricket back home,” he says with a wink. “But I guess you would do the same to us here. India’s wonderful... This is my first visit. I hadn’t expected this to be so much fun.”
Interestingly, many of the Asian countries participating in Milan 2014 want India to play a key role in keeping China at bay. “Almost every nation feels threatened by China. We all feel that they are out to display their powers by staking claim on other people’s property. Even a country like the US feels threatened. India has the potential to counter such a threat. This doesn’t mean we wan’t war. We want diplomatic solutions to such problems. The Malaysian and Indian navies share a great relationship. Our officers come to India for training. We exchange vital information as well,” said Lt Cdre Syahnaz Bin Abas, executive officer of the KD Kelantan, a New Generation Patrol Vessel of the Malaysian navy.
The Bangladeshis have participated with the Offshore Patrol Vessel BNS Sangu and the crew are all smiles as visitors come on board. Refreshments in the form of spring rolls and patishapta — a sweet dish made of rice powder, coconut and palm jaggery and common to Bangladesh and West Bengal — follow. “We made this on the ship,” a crew member proudly announces. “We can have more such exercises. Maybe we can have this on a rotational basis with other countries playing host as well,” an officer said.
In the decorated officers’ lounge on board the Indonesian navy’s anti-submarine warfare corvette Penjagaan, commanding officer Lt Col Amrin Rosihan describes how coordinated patrols are held with India. “This year, a joint exercise has also been planned in which two ships from each country will participate. We carry out sea patrols along the Malacca Straits and the Java Sea along with Thailand and Malaysia. There are about 30 vessels patrolling the stretch at all times. At the end of March, Indonesia will be hosting Ex Komodo in which 18 countries, including India, will participate,” he says.
A behemoth that keeps ANC afloat L ess than 10 days from now, the Navy will be celebrating the golden jubilee of INS Jarawa, the first ever naval base to have been set up at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) became the first integrated command in the country.But something of the size of Ex Milan may not have been possible had something known as the Floating Dock Navy (FDN) not existed close to the wharf at Port Blair.
The FDN is a behemoth with a displacement equivalent to an aircraft carrier’s. It allows dry dock facilities to naval vessels in waters that are nearly 25m deep. Had this facility not existed, it may not have been possible for the Navy to station such a large number of vessels at the Andamans. It may have been a major risk for ships that suffer damages to get back to the mainland for necessary repairs.
“Our job is to prepare a ship for repairs. We bring out the ship from the water and clean it... We are held in place by 12 anchors. We can handle all kinds of naval vessels once we have the details and get time to prepare,” said Cdre Deepak Bahuguna, officer-in-charge of the FDN, which enjoys the status of a Naval Ship Repair Yard. TNN
The Army’s Tornado Team performs a daredevil motorcycle stunt at Ex Milan 2014
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“Bahut achchha (Very nice)!” a uniformed figure hailed, raising his glass for a toast. Nothing uncommon with that save for the fact that the officer is from the Indonesian navy. Before long, the group around him increases. Men in white get together to join two tables and make room for nearly a dozen people. In the next half hour, officers from Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia and India are having the time of their lives.
“Hey, that’s ‘Gangnam Style’. I know it. It was released in 2012,” a Myanmarese officer notes. A Malaysian naval officer asks an Indonesian one: “What’s your age, young man? Twenty-eight, is it? That’s how old my girlfriend is. That is one of them, I mean.” There is another round of boisterous laughter.
The Navy has tried to explain the meaning of the word ‘Milan' to the foreigners as a ‘coming together’, ‘a meeting’ or ‘a gathering of people’. The 2014 edition of Ex Milan has done exactly that. It has brought together people from 17 nations (including India). For a while, career officers like Oktri Handoni, Syahnaz, Ray Ong, Lee and Deepak Dewan have crossed over territorial boundaries and turned into international citizens.
Commander Dave McEwan of the New Zealand navy stands nearby. “We are giving India a walloping in cricket back home,” he says with a wink. “But I guess you would do the same to us here. India’s wonderful... This is my first visit. I hadn’t expected this to be so much fun.”
Interestingly, many of the Asian countries participating in Milan 2014 want India to play a key role in keeping China at bay. “Almost every nation feels threatened by China. We all feel that they are out to display their powers by staking claim on other people’s property. Even a country like the US feels threatened. India has the potential to counter such a threat. This doesn’t mean we wan’t war. We want diplomatic solutions to such problems. The Malaysian and Indian navies share a great relationship. Our officers come to India for training. We exchange vital information as well,” said Lt Cdre Syahnaz Bin Abas, executive officer of the KD Kelantan, a New Generation Patrol Vessel of the Malaysian navy.
The Bangladeshis have participated with the Offshore Patrol Vessel BNS Sangu and the crew are all smiles as visitors come on board. Refreshments in the form of spring rolls and patishapta — a sweet dish made of rice powder, coconut and palm jaggery and common to Bangladesh and West Bengal — follow. “We made this on the ship,” a crew member proudly announces. “We can have more such exercises. Maybe we can have this on a rotational basis with other countries playing host as well,” an officer said.
In the decorated officers’ lounge on board the Indonesian navy’s anti-submarine warfare corvette Penjagaan, commanding officer Lt Col Amrin Rosihan describes how coordinated patrols are held with India. “This year, a joint exercise has also been planned in which two ships from each country will participate. We carry out sea patrols along the Malacca Straits and the Java Sea along with Thailand and Malaysia. There are about 30 vessels patrolling the stretch at all times. At the end of March, Indonesia will be hosting Ex Komodo in which 18 countries, including India, will participate,” he says.
A behemoth that keeps ANC afloat L ess than 10 days from now, the Navy will be celebrating the golden jubilee of INS Jarawa, the first ever naval base to have been set up at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) became the first integrated command in the country.But something of the size of Ex Milan may not have been possible had something known as the Floating Dock Navy (FDN) not existed close to the wharf at Port Blair.
The FDN is a behemoth with a displacement equivalent to an aircraft carrier’s. It allows dry dock facilities to naval vessels in waters that are nearly 25m deep. Had this facility not existed, it may not have been possible for the Navy to station such a large number of vessels at the Andamans. It may have been a major risk for ships that suffer damages to get back to the mainland for necessary repairs.
“Our job is to prepare a ship for repairs. We bring out the ship from the water and clean it... We are held in place by 12 anchors. We can handle all kinds of naval vessels once we have the details and get time to prepare,” said Cdre Deepak Bahuguna, officer-in-charge of the FDN, which enjoys the status of a Naval Ship Repair Yard. TNN
The Army’s Tornado Team performs a daredevil motorcycle stunt at Ex Milan 2014
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good luck.... 
