Admiral Hiranandani Trophy for Naval Warfare Specialisation Courses

Lieutenant Commander Mithilesh Upadhyay undergoing the Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) course won the prestigious Admiral Hiranandani Trophy for the best performance during the year long Naval Warfare Specialisation Courses conducted by Southern Naval Command. Gunnery and Missile Warfare, Navigation and Direction, Signal, Satellite and Network Centric Warfare are the other courses from among whom the winners were selected. Lieutenant Commander Ankit Bhade, Lieutenant Commander  KU Limaye and Lieutenant Vineet Sharma won book prizes as runners up. The trophy was presented by Smt Susheel Hiranandani, the spouse of the late Vice Admiral GM Hiranandani in whose memory, the trophy has been instituted.   Rear Admiral MS Pawar, Chief of Staff of Southern Naval Command, Dr Manick Hiranandani son of the late Admiral and other invitees witnessed the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Admiral Pawar emphasised that the specialist officers armed with theoretical knowledge would now have to hone their professional calibre on board fleet ships even as they mentor subordinate officers. He also complimented the Hiranandani family for their abiding interest in the Navy. Commodore G Prakash who welcomed the gathering recalled the illustrious Naval career of the late Admiral. Vice Admiral Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani retired as the Vice Chief of the Navy in 1989. His inspiring innings in white uniform included being the Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet during 1971 war, commissioning Commanding Officer of INS Rajput as well as helming Southern Naval Command as Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Southern Naval Command. The Admiral served in the UPSC till 1995 after retirement.   Thereafter, as the official historian of the Indian Navy, Admiral Hiranandani chronicled Indian Navy’s history in three acclaimed volumes- Transition to Triumph, Transition to Eminence and Transition to Guardianship.