Hemant Kotalwar, charge d' affaires at Indian Embassy, addresses a press conference in Jeddah, Saturday. He is flanked on right by Consul General B.S. Mubarak and Commander Gaurav Gautam, commanding officer of Indian Navy Ship Tarangini. Col. Gurpal Singh SM, defense attaché at the Indian embassy is on the extreme right. — SG photo by Hassan Cheruppa Hassan Cheruppa Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH – Reviving glorious memories of historic bonds and trade relations between Saudi Arabia and India that date back to the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and beyond, an Indian sailing ship docked at Jeddah Islamic Port on Friday.
Several Saudi Royal Navy officials joined Indian Embassy officials in according a warm welcome to INS Tarangini, the first sail training ship of the Indian Navy.
“The favorable winds that have blown since centuries, helping to dock sailing ships of traders on the Arabian coast in the past are still blowing in a highly positive note,” Col. Gurpal Singh SM, defense attaché at the Indian embassy, told Saudi Gazette during the reception for the ship at the port on Saturday evening.
Echoing the attaché's sentiments, Hemant Kotalwar, charge d' affaires at the embassy, said India-Saudi relations are “growing from strength to strength”.
Addressing a press conference at the port, Kotalwar highlighted the Indian government's connection with the Kingdom, which hosts over 3 million Indians, or one third of the expatriate community.
“The mutual ties have received a major boost since the visit of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to New Delhi last year and the visit not only reinforced mutual ties but also enabled the signing of the historical landmark agreement on defense and military cooperation,” he said, adding that the pact opens new vistas of military cooperation and exchange of information and training.
B.S. Mubarak, consul general of India, said the visit of Tarangini, tipped as India's goodwill ambassador, would help boost bilateral ties.
Commander Gaurav Gautam, commanding officer of Tarangini, thanked the Saudi Royal Navy for its support to the mission of the vessel, which arrived in Jeddah on the second leg of its 8-month voyage.
The voyage will cover 17 ports in 14 countries with a mission to showcase India to the world and demonstrate Indian Navy's global reach.
Gautam said the voyage is an embodiment of the Indian Navy's broadening reach for securing a safe maritime environment, besides being a goodwill ambassador for enhancing diplomatic relations.
“Tarangini provides an ideal setting for first-hand experience of natural elements toward imparting training.
“The navy believes that training onboard the ship is the best method to instill among the trainees the indefinable ‘sea-sense' and respect for the elements of nature that are inseparable from safe and successful seafaring.”
Tarangini is part of the Class-A sail ships, the largest of the sailing fleet. It is a three-mast barque, built in India's Goa Shipyard and commissioned on Nov. 11, 1997.
It is manned by six officers, 40 sailors and 30 trainees.
“The naval cadets undergo one-month training and every month new batches of trainees will join.
“We have plans to train 180 cadets in a six-month period during the voyage. During the voyage, the Indian trainees will also get an opportunity to sail on foreign vessels as part of an exchange of trainees.”
Salalah was the first stop of the vessel, which set off from the Indian port city of Kochi on April 27, and will travel approximately 17,000 nautical miles.
It will participate in the annual Tall Ships' Races and other events organized under the aegis of Sail Training International.
