Naval veterans share their challenges and proud moments

Visakhapatnam: Going against nature is not everyone’s cup of tea. But those serving the Armed Forces come prepared for it. In times of emergency situations, they do not step back even to sacrifice their lives.

On the eve of the Armed Forces Veterans’ Day celebrated on January 14 every year as a mark of respect and recognition for the services rendered by Field Marshal KM Cariappa, a couple of veterans share their experiences, how they pulled up themselves to overcome obstacles each time when they thought it was quite impossible to tide over.

When things fall out of control, drift away from one’s expectations and every exit closes shut, that’s when an urge to take a grip over the situation to overcome obstacles arises like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

That’s what happened to Arbind Kumar Suman, who retired as Honorary Lieutenant on December 31, 2023, at one point of time.

Having spent over 5,000 dived hours in the submarine during his 37 years of service in the Indian Navy, he says challenges never dissuaded him from fighting back. “Although there were times when I thought of giving up, the need to support my family took over the urge to give up,” recalls Arbind Kumar Suman.

After serving various ships and submarines, including INS Rajput, INS Androth, INS Sindhuvir, INS Sindhughosh and mother base of the submarines INS Virbahu in Visakhapatnam and INS Vajrabahu in Mumbai, Arbind Kumar Suman says that at sea, every day is a challenge to survive. “More so as a submariner. Initially, I had to fight against sea sickness and get used to restricted movement onboard submarines and it took me almost five to six years to get accustomed to it,” he says.

When the sea turns rough, the sailing gets tough. When Arbind Kumar Suman was moving towards Chennai from Visakhapatnam, he realised that one of the diving planes of the submarine he was in remained broken. “It was too risky. We thought, that’s the end of our life. Fortunately, the Captain of the submarine commanded to pump out the water tank of the submarine which helped us to reach the surface, saving us from a possible disaster,” he recalls.

Going against nature

Rajesh Kumar Goyat joined the Indian Navy when he was 19-year-old. Inspired by his father who served as a Physical Trainer Chief Petty Officer, he made up his mind long back about what he wanted to do when he grew up. In his 28-year-long service, he was onboard submarines for the last 18 years. Staying within the confined space was difficult to cope with for Rajesh Kumar Goyat. “Life is tougher onboard submarines compared to ships. Initially, it took quite a while for me to get used to the environment. Once when you are inside a submarine, most of the time you are against nature, especially when you are 100-m to 200-m deep below sea level. Challenges become an integral part of the day. But over a period of time, you tend to tackle them and emerge from it,” says Rajesh Kumar Goyat, who retired as Honorary Lieutenant.

Even though he was away from his family for 45 to 60 days at a stretch, Rajesh Kumar Goyat says he’s grateful to the facilities offered by the Indian Navy to help women at home handle and manage things independently. “For the family, it’s an advantage to be part of a gated community as every other facility is accessible within the premises and they don’t have to run around when we are away from home. It helps a great deal for them in handling things way easier,” he explains.

The submariner says that he was proud to serve the Indian Navy for 28 years and would look forward to encouraging his children too to follow suit. “Even when I set my uniform aside, the dolphin badge that I earned as a submariner will remain with me for the rest of my life,” he says with a tinge of pride.