MAY 23: An inter-service bonhomie that dates back to a time when Indian army battalions were shipped by the Royal Indian Navy during the first and second world wars was reaffirmed at the Naval Dockyard on Friday morning.

By affiliating with the Dogra regiment, one of the oldest in the army, the navy's destroyer INS Ranvijay became the fourth warship to be affiliated with the Indian army.

``An affiliation is an informal method of interaction to foster the spirit of brotherhood and camaraderie between the two services,'' explains Lt General H S Bedi, colonel commandant of the 140 year-old Dogra regiment and scouts.

He added that though joint operations between the two services were common during the war, today's affiliation ceremony was of a more personalised nature.

The Flag Officer Commanding the Western Fleet, Rear Admiral Madan Jit Singh, reviewed a guard of honour from the Dogra regimental headquarters, Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh, and presented the Western Fleet crest to Lt Gen Bedi.Lt Gen Bedi inspected a guard of honour by officers and sailors of the destroyer, and presented the Dogra regimental banner of a crouching tiger and battle honours, to the fleet commander. 60 men drawn from 20 battalions of the regiment later had a harbour cruise aboard another destroyer INS Ranvir.

The Dogra regiment has represented India in every single peacekeeping operation till date. More recently, it had embarked Indian naval ships as part of their United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Liveried parade detachments from both services stood on the Ranvijay's helicopter deck during the brief ceremony, the starched white naval uniforms in stark contrast to the olive green army outfits.

INS Rajput, the first Kashin class destroyer, was also the first naval warship to be affiliated to an army regiment the Rajputana Rifles in 1983, said Rear Admiral Madan Jit Singh. Similarly, three other ships INS Viraat with the Garhwal rifles, INS Ranvir with the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles and INS Khukri -- have been similarly affiliated.

``Affiliation leads to greater understanding between the navy and the army and of how the two services work,'' said Captain K M Nair, commanding officer of INS Ranvijay, inviting men of the Dogra regiment to join his ship on their next operation.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.