 India's entry into the new millennium was marked by bustling activity of the country's premier western naval command. Guided missile destroyer, INS Mumbai, so named to salute the city's great maritime history, became the latest addition to India's naval armada. The Portuguese arrived here in the 16th century and promptly christened Bombaham, literally the Goob Bay. They built a fort on the eastern shore. Next came the British. King Charles II, who acquired the seven islands as dowry, leased them out to the east in their company for just 10 pounds a year. Realizing Bombah strategic location, the company strengthened it as a naval base, while imposing merchants to make it a centre for trade. A series of dry and wet docks and the Bombay Port Trust establishment soon transformed the shoreline. Today the bustling port city handles over one third of India's total trade. After India became a republic in January 1950, the prefix Royal was dropped and the modern Indian Navy came into being. But it would still be a few years before an Indian officer took charge. In April 1954, Vice Admiral R. D. Patari became the first Indian chief of naval staff. The years after independence proved crucial for the growth of the Navy. The dogman realized the need to modernize the force. An array of celebrated British warships sailed out to be inducted into the Indian Navy. HMS Achilles, steamed into Indian waters, recristened HMIS Delhi, the first destroyer to be inducted into independent India's Navy. Others came in its way. The Rajput and Kudabri class, bearing proud names, that echoed the drumbeats of history and the bugles of bravery. No Navy can become truly powerful till it becomes self-reliant. Responding to the urgency, the Indian Navy's force went from strength to strength. Today, shipyards in Mumbai, Calcutta, Goa and other parts of the country are busy only around, building a variety of ships for the deep. From time to time, ships visit the naval dockyards too for repairs and even a complete refit. Inside the dry docks, ships are restored to health and then put back into the waters, fortified and fighting fit. Upgrading is a continuous process in the age of high-tech. The sea is an unforgiving environment. Precision is a prime requirement in seamanship. Bringing two steel mammoths close together and streaming along requires skill of the highest order. So does the jack state, a precise and coordinated transport of the ropeway. Crossing from one ship to another on the high seas is an oft-required operation to transport men in material and critical during emergencies. Day after day, the Indian Armada applies the ocean. Ever ready, these complex war machines demand the best. And the men aboard are quite up to the task. Back in the 50s, the Navy had realized the need to grow wings, attracting some of the finest young men to its fold. Thus came into being the air wing of the Navy. Today, all indigenously built naval ships have a place to accommodate a helicopter aboard. Helicopters play a vital role in transport between ships and from land to sea. Taking off from mother ships, helicopters perform a crucial role of peacetime transportation and anti-submarine warfare. The last century sought to conquer space. This century could well turn its hopes towards the sea. Shanno Varuna. May Varuna, the Lord of the Oceans, be auspicious unto us.