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“ ..To be secure on land we must be supreme at sea...” were the words of Pandit Nehru that encapsulates the spirit of Indian Navy. Young people from diverse backgrounds come together to protect the country’s vast coastline under daring sea conditions with weapons, sensors and equipment. Gallantly safeguarding the Nation’s strategic and maritime interest, the Indian Navy has also been a harbinger of goodwill and friendship in the neighbouring countries in the time of peace.
For a country like India surrounded on all the three sides by the sea, the threat to maritime security remains multidimensional as well as amorphous. Thus equipping the personnel with requisite intellectual, physical, technical attributes and to make the Navy a balanced three dimensional force, training forms the essential part of advancing the professional calibre. To cater to the training requirements of young sailors of Navy, INS Chilka was established as a premier basic training establishment. After rendering two decades of glorious and committed service to the Nation, this Establishment celebrates its Silver Jubilee.
Commissioned on 21st February 1980 on the picturesque shores of Chilka lagoon, this training establishment of Indian Navy transforms absolutely raw young boys into worthy sailors capable of manning sophisticated warships of the modern Navy. While the primary objective of the INS Chilka remains the naval orientation of the recruits, it has always shared a symbiotic and enduring relationship with the people of Orissa.
Initially, the Boys Training Establishment (BTE) of the Royal Indian Navy was located in Karachi. After partition, a temporary BTE was set up in Visakhapatnam. In the year 1954, the sanction for the BTE envisaged the training in Seamanship of 1,645 boy sailors for the Seaman, Stoker and Electrical trades. When this training establishment started getting congested, consent was obtained to expand the BTE and acquire land from the Visakhapatnam Port Trust and from private owners.
In 1965, the decision was taken to base the Russian acquisitions in Visakhapatnam and build a major naval base with a new Dockyard; it was then decided to shift the BTE to Paradip port in Orissa. The plan, however, could not materialise. The Navy then had to explore alternative sites with the primary requirement of, proximity to the sea. In 1969, after visiting Chandbali Port and Ganjam Port, the Navy, chose a 1,600 acre site on the bank of the Chilka Lake in Orissa, where 1,200 boys could be trained at a time. Chilka Lake was a sanctuary for migratory birds. The environmentalists sought the commitment to safeguard the environment of this bird sanctuary that the Navy willingly gave and has meticulously observed since then. The then Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the BTE and it was commissioned as INS Chilka in 1980.
In January 1986, the training of the Matric Entry Recruits was shifted from INS Mandovi, Goa to INS Chilka. Over the years, this establishment grew in all dimensions and today it boasts of being the sole training establishment for all new entrant sailors of the Indian Navy and Naviks of the Indian Coast Guard.
Young men in the age group of 17-20 years who are selected at various Naval Centres and Naval Recruiting Establishments report to INS Chilka every six months. About 1,500 to 1,800 trainees pass out from the portals of this establishment on completion of their basic training. The main emphasis is laid on Academics, Naval Orientation and Service Subjects, so that the trainees can be uniformly prepared for the subsequent professional courses irrespective of their branches and acquire the attitude and basic skills essentially required in a potential sailor.
The day for the trainees starts with physical activities and is followed by instructions imparted on subjects such as Seamanship, communication, boat-work, fire-fighting etc. In addition, classes to refresh the knowledge of Physics, Maths, English and General Awareness are also held. For enhancing the ability of the trainees to assimilate instructions, model demonstrations, laboratories and other modern equipments are utilized extensively. While maintaining the meticulous classroom training schedule throughout the six months stay, rigorous outdoor activities are designed to toughen the young recruits and inculcate discipline in them. The performance of the trainees is tested periodically and those who do not attain the requisite standards are cautioned or asked to go for additional training for six months.
True to its motto “success comes through efforts”, this Establishment of Indian Navy has been transforming young men into physically fit; mentally alert and highly adaptable white uniformed and disciplined sailors to face the ever changing technical and tactical environment. (PIB Features)
*PIB Bhubaneswar
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