About the Book

In 2008, the Indian Navy’s INS Tabar made headlines when it entered the piracy-ridden waters of the Gulf of Aden and saved two merchant vessels from pirate attacks. More recently, in March 2024, the INS Kolkata mirrored this courageous feat, capturing thirty-five pirates from the mothership MV Ruen during a high-stakes operation in the same waters. At the helm of Tabar was Prodyut K Banerjee, whose leadership brought stability to a volatile region and highlighted the Indian Navy’s sense of responsibility. This is his story—and that of INS Tabar, one of the finest ships in the Indian Navy. It is a tale of shared joys and anxieties, the loneliness of command, and the unwavering moral compass of the Indian soldier. Through personal anecdotes and reflections, the author shows how the Indian Navy instils resilience and courage vital for navigating adversity at sea, while vividly capturing the essence of life aboard a naval vessel.

About the Author

Commodore Prodyut K Banerjee commanded the then latest stealth frigate of the Indian Navy, INS Tabar in 2007-08, the most operationally deployed warship of the Western Fleet. A graduate of the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla, Staff College in Wellington, and the College of Air Warfare in Secunderabad, he has also commanded the missile corvette, INS Kulish, which was nominated as the Best Ship of the Eastern Fleet in 2004. He was the Naval Adviser in the Indian High Commission, London from 2009 to 2012. He now lives in Kolkata with his wife, Arpita.