HSL Hosts ‘Naman’ Rally, Honouring India’s Maritime Excellence and Innovation through Atma Nirbharta

Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam, hosted the flag-off ceremony of the ‘Naman’ car rally undertaken by personnel from the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB) on November 14, marking a national outreach initiative to commemorate the commissioning of the 100th indigenously designed warship, INS Udaygiri, by the Indian Navy.

The rally was flagged off on October 29 from Lothal, Gujarat, the site of the world’s first dockyard, and had traversed major shipbuilding hubs by covering Mumbai, Goa, Kochi, Chennai and Visakhapatnam—before culminating in Kolkata on November 17.

The last leg of the rally was flagged off by Rear Admiral RS Dhaliwal, Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard (Visakhapatnam) from HSL, in the presence of Rear Admiral Sujit Bari, Director General, Warship Design Bureau; Cmde Rakesh Prasad (retd), Director (Corporate Planning & Personnel); senior officers from the Indian Navy and HSL, a press release issued by the Navy stated here on Wednesday.

The event saw enthusiastic participation from service personnel, veterans, shipyard employees, industry partners and students from Indian Maritime University, Visakhapatnam.

In his address, Rear Admiral RS Dhaliwal emphasized that the ‘Naman’ car rally reflects India’s growing maritime capability, technological self-reliance and the exemplary achievements of the Warship Design Bureau, which has designed over 100 warships including destroyers, frigates, survey vessels and the Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant. He also highlighted HSL’s vital role in naval shipbuilding, major refits and complex submarine refits, praising its recent turnaround and strong alignment with the national vision of Aatmanirbharta.

Cmde Rakesh Prasad in his address emphasized that ‘Naman’ is a “Voyage of Pride” connecting India’s ancient maritime heritage with its modern shipbuilding excellence. He highlighted the rally’s significance in honouring naval designers, engineers and shipyard personnel whose collective efforts have enabled India to achieve a key milestone in indigenous warship design.