Manohar Prahlad Awati

Vice Admiral Manohar Prahlad Awati, PVSM, VrC (7 September 1927 – 4 November 2018) was an Indian admiral, who served as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of Western Naval Command of Indian Navy. He retired in 1983. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, he was awarded the Vir Chakra for his command of the INS Kamorta. The admiral was also known as the "Father of the Indian Navy's Circumnavigation Adventures".

Early Life
Awati was born to a family of academics in Surat. His father was a zoologist who later became a professor of zoology at the Royal Institute of Science, Mumbai. Enrolled at the Training Ship Dufferin, he graduated second in the order of merit of his course, and was offered a commission in the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) in 1945.

Career
After passing out of Dartmouth, he returned to India, choosing to specialise as a Signals and Communications officer. As a young lieutenant, he received the colours of the Indian Navy on 27 May 1950 from the then President of India, Rajendra Prasad, at a ceremony where the RIN was renamed the Indian Navy. He went on to command the cadet training ship INS Tir, the destroyer INS Ranjit, and the ASW frigate INS Kamorta.

During the 1971 war, he was in command of the 31 Patrol Vessel Squadron and INS Kamorta, and was awarded a Vir Chakra, the citation for which reads ''"Manohar Prahlad Awati was the commanding officer of an Indian naval unit of the Eastern Fleet during the operations against Pakistan in December 1971. Throughout the period, he was called upon to operate within enemy waters where there was constant danger to his ship from enemy mines and submarines. Undeterred, he carried out continuous probes into the enemy defended harbours in Bangladesh and inflicted heavy damage on the enemy. During the blockade, he attacked and captured three enemy ships carrying contraband goods. He also gained a submarine contact and pressed home an attack with great vigour, which possibly resulted in destruction of and damage to the submarine. Throughout, Captain Awati displayed gallantry, leadership and devotion to duty of a high order." ''

After the war, he was appointed the Naval Officer-in-Charge, Goa, in 1972, where he was the founding President of the Goa Yachting Association. His tenure at Goa was abruptly interrupted when he was ordered to proceed to Mumbai take over as the commanding officer of the INS Mysore, which had a mutiny onboard in 1973. The mutiny had occurred due to poor man-management, and Awati soon smoothed things over.

In 1975, he attended the Royal College of Defence Studies, shortly after which he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral. Subsequently, he was appointed Commandant of the National Defence Academy. His next posting was as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF). During that tenure, he set up the Maritime History Society of India, in 1978. Upon promotion to the rank of Vice Admiral, he served as the Navy's Chief of Personnel for about a year and a half (this being his only tenure in Delhi in his entire career), after which he was appointed the Commander-in-Chief, Western Naval Command.

Post-Retirement
An avid ecologist, he created a scrub jungle in his native village, Vinchurni. It is said that he was once offered the job of the Ranger/Conservator of the Serengeti game reserve and the Ngorongoro forests, which he declined. He is the author of three books on nature and wildlife, Homo Sapiens and Panthera Leo, The Vanishing Indian Tiger and Nature Clubs of India.

Awati conceptualised the "Sagar Parikrama" project launched in 2007, which entailed solo circumnavigations around the globe on Indian-built sailboats. This led to the construction of the sail training boats INSV Mhadei and INSV Tarini. In 2010, Cdr Dilip Donde of the Indian navy the first recorded solo circumnavigation by an Indian. . He was followed by Cdr Abhilash Tomy, who became the first Indian, and the second Asian, to do a non-stop solo circumnavigation around the world. The Sagar Parikrama project also led to the first ever all-woman circumnavigation expedition, called the Navika Sagar Parikrama, which was completed in 2018 by 6 female officers of the Indian Navy. In 2015, Awati presented to the NDA a Webley Revolver of .38 calibre, which was handed over to him as a token of surrender by two senior Pakistan Navy officers during the 1971 War.

Vice Admiral Awati died on 3 November 2018 at his home, in Vinchurni, Satara district, Maharashtra.