Navy Day in India is celebrated on 4 December every year to recognize the achievements and role of the Indian Navy to the country.
History of Indian Navy Day
Navy Day does not commemorate the day the Indian Navy was founded.
The Royal Indian Navy celebrated Navy Day for the first time on 21 October 1944. The idea behind celebrating Navy Day was to foster greater outreach and increase awareness about the Navy among the public. The event was a major success and it generated considerable interest among the public. The success motivated to organise such events again and accordingly, Navy Day 1945 was celebrated at Bombay and Karachi on 01 December.
Following that Navy Day came to be celebrated on 15 December and the week in which 15 December fell was observed as the Navy Week till 1972.
Later, 4 December was chosen as on that day in 1971, during Operation Trident, the Indian Navy sank four Pakistani vessels including PNS Khaibar, killing hundreds of Pakistani Navy personnel. The same day also marks the end of Navy Week, which, too, is celebrated annually.
The Navy plans to celebrate 2021 as ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ as part of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the victory in the 1971 War.
On Navy Day, various events are organised by the Indian Navy to reach out to citizens through various mass contact programmes.
Indian Navy Day Themes
Theme for 2020 is, "Indian Navy Combat Ready, Credible & Cohesive".
Theme of 2019 was "Indian Navy – Silent, Strong and Swift".
Theme of 2018 was "Indian Navy, Mission-deployed and Combat-ready"
Theme of 2015 was "Indian Navy – Ensuring Secure Seas for a Resurgent Nation."[
Theme of 2014 was "Indian Navy – Ensuring Secure Seas for a Resurgent Nation."
Theme of 2012 was "Indian Navy – Maritime Power for National Prosperity".
Theme of 2008 was "Reaching Out to Maritime Neighbours"
Indian Navy
Indian Navy is one of the largest and most powerful navies in the world. Originally called the Royal Indian Navy, our supreme naval branch of the armed forces of India was founded in 1612 by the East India Company and renamed the Indian Navy on 26th January, 1950 after independence. Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhosale is considered as the Father of Indian Navy
The Indian Navy's first independent mission was against the Portuguese Navy during the liberation of Goa in 1961.
The Ezhimala Naval Academy in Kerala is the largest naval academy in Asia.