Traditions are the bedrock of any military service, and naval traditions often go further back in history than the two sister services, the Army and the Air Force. That is mostly due to the Royal Navy’s influence on the Indian Navy, as well as the shared naval traditions that cut across countries, flags, and oceans.

It is in this context of tradition that this week’s column touches upon some interesting aspects of naval traditions.

The National Archives of India has an interesting letter written by a Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Defence to the office of the Military Secretary to the President of India in January 1968. The letter informed that a court martial was being held in INS India later that month and it was the naval practice to fire a saluting gun daily at 8 am on the days

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