Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala (Kerala) is equipped with modern labs and workshops.
The syllabus has been drafted keeping in mind the skill that will be required in
handling future acquisitions of the Navy, writes Umesh Dewan

THE eight-hour journey from Kochi to Ezhimala was definitely worth it as it started our morning on a beautiful note. Right before our eyes there was nature in its splendid form of picturesque hillocks and a seafaring tradition to welcome us. Flanked by the deep blue Arabian Sea on the one side and beautiful hills along with inland waters on the other, the Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala — Asia’s largest naval academy — beckoned the group of three dozen journalists from across the country.

The scribes had been taken to the academy by the Indian Navy as part of the defence correspondents’ course being organised by the Ministry of Defence.

Being the first batch of outstation journalists to have ever stepped into the academy, Navy officers were enthusiastic to show the academy to the participants. Once being the headquarters of the Mooshika kings during the Sangha period of Indian history, Ezhimala faced stiff competition from four other locations, including Ootty, the Nilgiris, Bangalore and Pune, to get the prized academy. Although its foundation stone was laid way back on January 17, 1987, by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, it became operational only last year with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh formally inaugurating the full-fledged permanent facility in the state of Kerala in January last year.

Built and developed at a whopping cost of Rs 720 crore, the facility is spread over 2,452 acres. No wonder it took almost 22 years for it to become a reality. Ezhimala Naval Academy has replaced the Naval Academy, INS Mandovi at Goa. The academy estate is a vast area divisible into the coastal strip facing the Arabian Sea in the west, punctuated by the low undulating hills forming the middle strip, and the uplands forming a part of the Western Ghats in the east. It became apparent right from the moment we entered the academy that the visit was going to be permanently etched in our memories for the rest of our lives — both professional as well as personal.

A step into the main academy premises that is dotted with the state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories and workshops, a well-stocked library and a modern auditorium just left us spellbound. Physical fitness training facilities in the academy include indoor swimming and diving pools, an athletics track and a stadium, a variety of playfields and courts, a firing range and a watermanship training centre with several types of boats, besides a comprehensive IT network interconnecting various facilities.

"After selection, cadets undergo training in the academy and are then commissioned. The academy will also train officers of the Indian Coast Guard. The academy also offers B. Tech courses in electronics and communications and mechanical engineering, and is affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi", said a defence spokesman.

It is divided into three zones — training zone, administration zone and accommodation zone. The training zone comprises the academy’s main building complex, physical training and extra curricular activities complex, outdoor training and watermanship complex, firing range, cadets’ mess and cadets’ accommodation. The administration zone consists of the administrative complex, hospital, the logistic complex, the motor transport complex and fire station.

The heart of the facility — the main building complex — includes the headquarters wing, service and technical training wings, laboratories, workshops, a library and a 1,736-seating capacity auditorium. The base depot ship for Academy INS Zamorin is named after the Zamorins of Kozhikode, who had a strong fleet of warships under the stewardship of the famous Kunjali Marakkars. The Navy has also constructed a memorial for Kunjali Marakkar on the premises of his ancestral house at Iringal, near Vatakara.

During our interaction with officers at the academy, we were conveyed that syllabi and the curricula have been drafted, keeping in mind the current technical advancements and the skill sets that will be required in handling the future acquisitions of the Indian Navy. The academy will give a lot more thrust on intellectual works and will have a unique laboratory and plans to allow others to do research work here. We were told that the academy has a capacity to train 750 trainees, and this will be increased to 1,500 by 2013.

Trainees from friendly foreign countries will also be trained here. An interesting feature of the academy is its close proximity to Kannur (Cannanore), which is a mere 38 km from here. Ezhimala was a flourishing sea port in ancient Kerala, and it covers an area of 2452 acres along the north Malabar coastline. Besides being supported by the base depot ship (INS Zamorin), the academy has a base hospital (INHS Navjeevani) and a station health organisation. It is all set to become a coveted possession of the country.

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