An icon in the history of Indian Navy, Vice Admiral (retired) Manohar Prahlad Awati, died in his native village Vinchurni in Satara district of Maharastra.
He was known as the father of Indian Navy’s circumnavigation adventures.
He commanded a naval unit of the Eastern Fleet in the 1971 India-Pakistan war, whose actions led to the destruction of an enemy submarine.
He was awarded the Vir Chakra in 1972 for showing valour as the commanding officer of INS Kamorta during the 1971 war.
He was instrumental in introducing the ‘Sagar Parikrama’ project in 2007, which entailed the solo circumnavigation around the globe on Indian-made sailboats.