AFVOA Newletter August 2020

Section 5 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 02 / 2020 Page 142 of 237 This was all fun and games to de-stress the boredom of the long voyage. This event was conducted on the helicopter deck. The entire ship’s company other than those who were on duty attended and enjoyed this event. Once the ceremony was complete, one received a parchment declaring his new status. I was one of the lucky ones. As a cadet on old INS Delhi, I crossed the Equator whilst on a cruise to couple of East African ports and was awarded this parchment in 1973. So I wasn’t given one on Rana. Later again crossed the Equator whilst on a visit to Indonesia in 1989 on Destroyer INS Rajput as Eastern Fleet Staff. About the Author Capt(IN) N. Vijayasarathy (Retd) is Specialised in Anti-Submarine Warfare). He has served on IN Ships Delhi, Cauvery, Kavaratti, Magar, Kesari, Kadmatt, Chapal, Anjadip, Malvan, Rana and Agray). He is an alumnus of Sainik School Amaravathinagar, National Defence Academy, DSSC, Wellington. He retired in 2010 and is settled at JVV, Madambakkam, Chennai