The 1971 War Veteran, Vir Chakra Awardee Vice Admiral Awati Passes Away; Defence Minister Pays Homage

A distinguished military hero and a Vir Chakra awardee, Vice Admiral (retd) Manohar Pralhad Awati, passed away on Sunday (4 November), as reported by Press Trust of India (PTI).

The 91-year old admiral, who served in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, breathed his last in the Vinchurni village in Maharashtra's Satara district. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

“Deeply regret to inform the sad demise of Vice Admiral MP Awati (Retd) early this morning, at his hometown Vinchurni, Phaltan, near Satara. He was 91 years old. A giant of a man, one of our tallest heroes and greatest icons. It's truly the end of an era. May his soul RIP Adm S Lanba CNS.” tweeted Navy’s Chief Sunil Lamba.

An expert in signal communication, he joined in the Royal Indian Navy in 1945 and thereafter, commanded various Indian naval ships in his long illustrious career.

Union Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, paid her respects to this naval icon by tweeting, “Vice Admiral M P Awati (Retd) #PVSM, #VirChakra passed away; was the commanding officer of a naval unit of the Eastern Fleet, Dec'71. Captured three enemy ships carrying contraband goods. His actions led to destruction of an enemy submarine. An icon in naval history. My homage.”

An alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College Wellington, and the Royal College of Defence Studies, London, the admiral was awarded the Vir Chakra for his exemplary courage as the commanding officer of "INS Kamorta" during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Also, the ‘Sagarparikrama’ project which helped launch the first Indian solo circumnavigation of the globe in a boat built in India was conceptualised by him.