RIP Admiral Awati: The Incredible Story of One of Indian Navy’s Greatest Heroes

In the early hours of Sunday, India bid farewell to one of its most legendary and decorated war veterans, Vice Admiral (retired) Manohar Prahlad Awati. His demise indeed marks the end of an era for the defence forces.

Aged 91, Admiral Awati breathed his last in Vinchurni, his native village, located in the Satara district of Maharashtra. He leaves behind an irreplaceable abyss in the history of Indian Navy.

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Also known as the father of Indian Navy’s circumnavigation adventures, he had quite an eventful and illustrious career which ranged from capturing three enemy ships carrying contraband goods to the destruction of an enemy submarine.

Born on September 7, 1927, Awati first donned the uniform when he was selected for the Royal Indian Navy in 1945. An expert in signal communication, the iconic naval officer also had the credit of serving in many naval vessels like INS Ranjit, INS Venduruthy, INS Betwa, INS Tir and INS Mysore.

However, it was during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, when Awati’s commandership played a significant role in determining India’s fate.

Deployed as the commanding officer of INS Kamorta, his name went down in history for gallantly holding the fort against the enemy forces for almost a fortnight—a successful feat for which he was awarded the Vir Chakra.

Operating in the extremely dangerous territory with constant danger to his ship from enemy mines and submarines, an undeterred Awati went on a probing spree across the enemy- defended harbours of Bangladesh before finally striking a massive blow.

Awati not only attacked and captured three enemy ships with contraband goods but also gained an enemy submarine contact that was to meet a brutal end at his hands.

Between 1976 and 1977, Admiral Awati served as the Commandant of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and even after being posted out and shouldering other responsibilities, he made it a point to attend every passing out parade of the Academy; a practice he continued till this year.

Anecdotes from Admiral Awati’s war days would be incomplete without mentioning the iconic .38 calibre Webley Revolver, a token of surrender that was handed over to him by two senior Pakistan Navy officers during the 1971 War.

He presented the revolver to NDA as a souvenir in 2015, and it now rests in the museum of the premier tri-services military training institution.

Interestingly, the 1971 war hero continued to offer his services for the nation even post-retirement and played an instrumental role in envisioning and spearheading projects of circumnavigation—right from the first solo adventure of Commander Dilip Donde in 2010 to the latest all-women crew on INSV Tarini that had completed its mission early this year.

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“He was the embodiment of the ethos of the Indian Navy. He had a very warm personality. There was something in his personality and his endless enthusiasm towards the Navy and maritime history, as well as his interest and encouragement for circumnavigation adventure. It made the fraternity respect him and look up to him,” a senior Navy officer and a friend of Admiral told The Indian Express.

Rest in Peace, Admiral Awati. We hope that the legacy you left behind would continue to inspire not just the officers serving in the force but also those aspiring to serve the country.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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