Till Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray stepped in. His visit to the aircraft carrier proved to be decisive for the long drawn issue of saving Vikrant and everything else fell into place. The grand old lady was saved from her imminent danger of being scrapped.

The exploits of the grand old lady, which is one of the prominent aircraft carriers in the world, is a golden page in the history of Independent India. She decimated Pakistan and helped in the creation of a new nation on the map of the world. She installed fear and terror in the minds of the Pakis. Vikrant was the alma mater of six Admirals who led Indian Navy after independence.

We must save this symbol of India's martial history and bravery. Indians love historicalmonuments whether it be the sword of Chhatrapati Shivaji or Rana Pratap or the historical forts. Tokens of national pride should be preserved because they are an inspiration for future generations. After Kargil we have suddenly became touchy about national pride. However, whatever efforts we, Dr Nitu Mandke and myself, have made it is only part of our national duty.

I remember the days we two were commuting by rickshaw in Delhi meeting and trying to convince leaders like L K Advani, Pramod Mahajan, Madhukar Sarpotdar, Sharad Pawar, Ram Naik and others to raise the issue of Vikrant in the Parliament. At last, on March 21, 1997 Ram Naik placed a bill in the Lok Sabha proposing that Vikrant be maintained as a national monument. The rest is history.

There are two sides to Vikrant's new avatar: management and cost. While it is premature to comment upon its management of a project of this magnitude, on must remember that projects like Vikrant come into being only when there is a strong will. Martial killerinstinct is a prerequisite. The execution of the project should involve the Navy, the state government and dedicated non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

My immediate worry is the present condition of the ship. No major repairs have been undertaken since 1993. Given her weakened hull she may sink which would be big embarrassment to the Navy, the state and Central governments.

Therefore, the government should the MbPT to immediately provide dry-docking facility to Vikrant. With immediate repairs at a cost of Rs 6 crore it would be kept afloat. During the auctions, quoting her price at Rs 5.8 crore while her book value is Rs 18 crore proved that we have failed to understand its value. There could be no bigger humiliation.

India should follow the maritime traditions of the European countries who preserve their warships and other battle regalia. In the proposed maritime musuem in Vikrant we can put on display the history, growth and the exploits of our Army, Navy and Air Force and their future vision.The museams' features could include an archive of war films, war library, light and sound shows, computer games, defence school and a routine day inside the Vikrant etc. These would provide a glimpse of life in the navy and inspire the younger generation to take some interest in the armed forces. As the French poem says, "Tell me the song on the lip of the youth and I will predict the future of the country." Our endeavour at Rashtra Chetna is to shape this song for the youth who are our future.

As trustees of Rashtra Chetna, Dr Mandke and myself dedicate our efforts to help the younger generation of India and arranged for visits by artistes to nation's borders. Musical shows were organised to provide some lighter moments for the tired spirits of our jawans Kashmir and Assam. Their cheer was our reward. Such activities help us keep our feet firmly on the ground. Such moments also remind us of our duties to our motherland and encourage us to keep going.