Memorial for INS Vikrant

"At this point of time I am spearheading this project all by myself because of my sentimental attachment with the ship,” Cmde Medioma Bhada (retd) revealed in an email response to Parsiana’s request for information about the memorial he is planning for the now defunct aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. "I have managed to acquire a little over a ton-and-a-half of material at my cost from the present owners of the scrap and the same is now in my possession. My friend Arzan Khambatta, a qualified architect turned sculptor who gives life to metal, has been assisting me in the selection of the pieces. My intention is to have it installed at a prominent island, preferably in SoBo (south Bombay) for which I am in dialog with the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC).”
Bhada had written to the then Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte: "A group of naval officers want to erect a memorial to the iconic aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The idea is to erect a sculpted open air memorial at a traffic island in south Bombay. The sculpture will consist of a small esthetic structure erected from metal retrieved from Vikrant, which is being dismantled at Darukhana,” reported Mumbai Mirror (MM) on April 9, 2015.

Speaking to MM, Bhada recalled: "Along with my squadron mates, I have flown operational sorties from her deck during the 1971 Bangladesh war, and we are proud of the fact that INS Vikrant played a pivotal role in the early outcome of that war.” Bhada, who served in the Indian Navy for 30 years, said that INS Vikrant, India’s first aircraft carrier commissioned in 1961 was known as the Grand Old Lady and pilots referred to her as "Mother” while flying. She was decommissioned in 1997 and from then until 2012, was preserved as a museum ship. In 2013 it was finally decided to scrap the vessel as she had become "difficult to maintain” and in January 2014 she was sold to a ship-breaker for Rs 60 crore. A public interest litigation delayed her demolition but on November 12, 2014 the Supreme Court gave final approval and scrapping began at Darukhana, the ship-breaking yard in Mazgaon, 10 days later, MM reported.
Though the cost of the entire proposed memorial has not yet been estimated, "We are looking for some corporates to support us and take up the project as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. Once the memorial is ready, we will also have to find someone to maintain it. The Navy is supportive and we hope the BMC will support us too,” Bhada maintained.