NEW DELHI: Celebrating 50 years of submarines, the Indian navy has roped in Bollywood music composer trio Shankar- Ehsan- Loy to develop a theme song for a silent army of the navy.
Nearly three-minute long video special rendition titled Lehron se geherayion tak ( from waves to deep sea) was released on Friday by the navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba in naval headquarters. And interestingly none of this Bollywood music composer charge for it. And the song was written by a serving naval officer Captain Sudeep Sen.
“None of these Bollywood music composer charge for the theme song. It was gratis from their side,” Captain DK Singh, Naval spokesperson confirmed.
The submarine arm of the navy is celebrating its golden jubilee this year, as in the year 1967, India got its first submarine from Russia was inducted named as INS Kalvari, Foxtrot class submarine.
Making golden jubilee of its underwater force, the year 2017 has been termed as the year for submarine as Indian navy will commission two of its long-awaited Scorpene class submarine by year end and the third submarine will be launched for sea trial in next 11 months.
Indian navy is one of the few countries who have a strong submarine arm, as at present Indian navy operates 14 submarines including nuclear-powered INS Chakra and three are under trials. Over the past five decades, the submarine arm of the navy has been decorated with one Maha Veer Chakra and Two Veer Chakras.
However, in absence of torpedoes, Navy will be left with no option to float these new submarines without its offensive capability. Scorpene class submarine will be operational without torpedoes, as the ministry of defence is struggling to find a solution after it scrapped Finmeccanica’s contract for ‘Black Shark’ torpedoes. Sources indicated that ministry might go for German heavyweight torpedoes. Torpedoes are self-propelled weapons with explosives packed in their nose. They are a submarine's primary weapon to destroy their targets.
Navy sources also maintained that navy will put some alternate torpedoes available as an interim measure. INS Kalvari, the first of the Scorpene class is likely to be commissioned before monsoon while the second submarine INS Khanderi could be commissioned by December this year or early next year.
Meanwhile, another submarine INS Sindhuraj will go to Russia for Medium Refit with Life Certification (MRLC) in mid-2017, which will enhance its life for the next few year. The submarine was inducted in the Indian navy in 1992. Another submarine INS Sindhukesri, which was commissioned in 1986, is undergoing a similar refit process.