A tribute to Gray Dolphin of Indian Navy

Late Vice Admiral Srikant, AVSM

by Admiral Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne
(Retired From Sri Lanka Navy)
Former Chief of Defence Staff

I was watching NDTV news on my cable TV recently. One news item shocked and saddened me beyond measure. It said Vice Admiral Srikant, of the Indian Navy, had died of COVID-19 complications at the Delhi Army Cantonment base hospital.

Srikant was a dear friend of mine. An outstanding Officer from his batch at the National Defence Academy, Kurukshetra, Pune, India, he joined the Indian Navy Submarine Arm more than 38 years ago. He was due to retire on 31st Dec 2020, on reaching the age of 60.

He and I underwent a one-and-a-half month-long Senior Executive Course at Near East Asia Centre (NEA Centre) at the National Defence University, Washington DC.

The then Captain Srikant and another Indian diplomat were the students from India. We stayed in the Holiday Inn hotel, next to the Pentagon. Our rooms were large and had kitchenettes.

I was delighted. I had an opportunity to put my cooking skills to good use with groceries brought from a nearby supermarket: I invited my Indian friends to share wine and food. Mano was with his charming wife Thila, who sadly passed away four months ago. Srikant joined us in the evening. He brought a bottle of wine.

The following week, Srikant invited us to his room. My cooking was nowhere near Srikant’s. He had all Indian masala powders his wife had sent for preparing delicious Indian dishes.

Our friendship grew stronger thereafter. He was a much-respected Submarine Commander, who spent most of his naval life in cramped submarines with limited fresh water supplies and basic food supply. He was living with his crew and patrolling the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal and protecting his country from seaborne enemies. His dedication, commitment, hard work and patriotism was an example to all his juniors in the Indian Navy. Ultimately, he reached the most respected position among Submariners of the Indian Navy, the “Grey Dolphin”, the most senior Submariner of the Indian Navy.

His jet -black hair and mustache had also turned grey by that time. He was a mentor and role model to his junior submariners. 

His achievements in commanding surface ships were also exceptional. His work in 2009/10 as Commanding Officer INS Delhi, indigenously built Guided Missile Destroyer at “Indian counter-piracy task group” off the coast of Somalia; his contribution to keeping pirates at bay was highly appreciated by the maritime fraternity.  Srikant served in one of the most difficult positions in the Indian Navy with an excellent record, the Naval Adviser at Indian High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan.

When I met him last year, for the last time before his untimely demise, he was the Commandant of the National Defence College, New Delhi, the highest Military training institute in India, which offers MPhil (Defence and Strategic Studies) degree for senior Indian Military officers, Indian Diplomats, Indian civil services officers and senior officers of friendly foreign countries. Sri Lanka has two officers in each one-year-long course and Vice Admiral Srikant has groomed them to be better senior administrators. His dedication and commitment are worthy of emulation by his students.

Srikant was a top Golfer of the Indian Navy. I am thankful to him for inspiring me to teach my son this beautiful game at the Indian Army Golf Club at Delhi cantonment under a highly qualified coach at a very young age who always very happy of my son’s golfing achievements.

He wholeheartedly supported us when we set up our own National Defence College in Sri Lanka, which is going to be a reality soon at the beautifully renovated mansion, Mumtaz Mahal at Colombo-3, the former official residence of the Parliament Speaker. We are going to miss him as a guest lecturer to our National Defence College.

We lost a great friend to the Sri Lankan Military and dear friend to me personally.

The Indian Defence Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh tweeted “Deeply pained at the untimely and sudden demise of DG Seabird, Vice Admiral Srikant. “The MoD and the Indian Navy will always remember his stellar contributions and remarkable service to the nation. ” My deepest condolences to his bereaved family and friends. Om Shanti!”

Former Indian Defence Minster and now the Finance Minister of India Shrimathi Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted “Sad to know that the Director General of Project Seabird Vice Admiral Srikant has passed away. Earlier, as Inspector General Nuclear Safety and Commandant of NDC, he set high bench marks in service. @indiannavy has lost a fine officer. Condolences to his family and friends.”

We extend our condolences to his beloved wife, Sudha, and only daughter, Shraddha.