Off to Visakhapatnam…

I’m travelling to Visakhapatnam today to cover the launch ceremony of India’s first nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arihant. A full report later in the day. I did a half-hour special show on the submarine on Saturday evening, with studio guests Vice Admiral Raman Puri and Brahma Chellaney. This will be up on the Headlines Today website tomorrow. Meanwhile, the videos of some of the stories we ran on the channel are here, including an on-cam chat with India Today Associate Editor, Sandeep Unnithan.

It’s funny how I — and, no doubt, every other Indian defence journalist — have spent much of my (short) career writing semi-speculative reports about the shadowy ATV. And now all of us watch as it creeps out, not just from its dry-dock, but from a blanket of studied and meticulous secrecy. A few years ago, a day such as today promises to be, was not near imaginable. And it’s happened progressively. First the tacit official admissions that the programme exists. Then the soundbytes about how it’s a technology demonstrator. Then the unbridled use of the word ATV. And now this. I don’t know what I’ll get to see in Vizag later today, but I can tell you it’s still somewhat unbelievable. I can only imagine what it must be like for folks who’ve written about it for the better part of 20 years!

Here’s wishing everyone a safe Vijay Diwas. Do take a moment out, if you can, for those who died for this country. Nabha Sparsham Deeptam. Shano Varun. Jai Hind.

11 thoughts on “Off to Visakhapatnam…”

  1. Shiv,

    Why not integrate a miniaturized reactor to the vikrant class aircraft carrier being built cochin shipyard ?

  2. Please count the number of big missile tubes. Take a big tape measure along to report the length of the beast.

  3. I saw you in the TV yesterday night interviewing Brahma and Vice Admiral.

    The shirt didn't match the black suit. Next time, have a contrasting color like red with black suit. That would look good for you. Also, it looked as if you had your regular half sleeves black strip shirt with the suit.

  4. For the IAC, I think it will come from the third AC onwards. We must start to learn and stop the gap with immediate commissioning of two AC's by 2017-20 and the third may come by 2025 or so with Nuclear propulsion.

  5. Please post the ATV specs too. There has been multiple reports with different numbers for displacement, width, length etc. And any photos released by navy too would be wonderful!

  6. Hi, Shiv
    This is it… The moment for you and all of us to cheer and proud of this historic moment. Bring some live picture for all of us…

    Shaktiarj S. Ghorpade

  7. Shivji please do take an umbrella with you it rains often in Vishakapattnam you will get very wet. Also please warn the Navy (before program starts) to not reveal the screw design.

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