 
 
 
Harman!!
All positions report.
Dive now, now, now.  Fire.
Harman, okay?
Training to be a part of the special forces…
is the stuff of dreams and nightmares…
I’ve always had a fascination for the uniform.
Perhaps that’s why I joined the Merchant Navy,
perhaps it’s a legacy of seeing my father don the olive greens every day.
A new challenge awaits me
Calling me back to the seas
This time I won’t be riding the waves
I will be going under them
Rubbing shoulders with the best of the best
defenders of the deep
the Indian Naval Submariners
 
 
I am finally here at Vishakapatnam.
Vizag, as it is popularly known.
This is the largest port city in Andhra Pradesh.
It’s also the Head Quarters of the Eastern Naval Command
 
The nerve center for all the naval activities in the bay of Bengal and beyond.
I am here for a purpose ...
...chasing my dream...
where I will get a chance to train as a submariner.
Harman have you been to Vizag before?
I have been to Vizag once before which was about 7 to 8 years back...
...but I didn’t get a chance to roam around too much it was just like a small, three days trip.
As I have seen now as I was landing also I saw the ocean and the beaches and this mountain.
It’s a really picturesque city man
am very excited to explore it, that is if I get the time.
 
 
INS- Satavahana - India's one and only submarine training center
It's the only submarine training center of it's kind in entire south-Asia
And I'm going spend a few weeks here.
It’s a high security zone and no one can enter without an invitation
Trainees spend 6 months learning the basics...
and I’m attempting to do that in just a few weeks…
Am I nervous? Yes.
Am I anxious? yes
Am I willing to let go of this opportunity?
Absolutely not..
I’m waiting for my over study…
The man who will be my guide and will help me in my journey to become a submariner.
 
Hi Harman! ...Hello Shreyas!
How are you?
Very good man.
You are already late.
I swear my father was in the army I understand the value of time.
I really tried to push the pilot you know that I have to reach on time but finally I am here.
Ok, I will be with you its going to be a tough one...But we will do it together
I am sure you will enjoy it
I am so thankful for the fact that you are going to be there because ...
I am extremely nervous, I know this is a big and I have got the honor to be the part of this.
We will be there with you and you will enjoy it,
first things first we have to meet the training captain
Let’s go meet him.
Shreyas how many submarine schools are there in India?
Oh Harman this is the only submarine school in India
All Submariners in Navy have been trained from this school.
And How do you get selected? I mean how do you become a submariner
No we don’t, we don’t get selected that’s the specialty of the submarine arm, ...
each and every person who goes on the submarine is a Volunteer for Submarine arm
Oh Wow...And that’s how we consider ourselves different and special.
It’s like the paramilitary force in the army.
Exactly, Exactly!
So we have to choose and we have to volunteer knowing the difficulties and adventures that we are going to see...
and that’s why we are special.
Captain Subhash Chandra…
is the officer in charge of INS Satavahana,
which means he is the man who will be watching me like a hawk throughout my training
Good morning Sir
 
Sir this is Harman
Good Morning!
Harman welcome to Satavahana. Please take a seat
I will meet you outside
I understand you have already met your over study
Yes sir. I just met Shreyas outside
He will be Shreyas Sir for you...Shreyas Sir...Yes
Welcome to Satavahana. We are the alma mater of submarine training...
And how much do you know about the submarines?
Sir very little, just from the films I watch or the Wikipedia research sir
Okay
On board of submarine there is a golden rule, which all of us follow.
It is not to touch something you don’t know about...
and leave the things as you found them.
Everybody who I have interacted with a little bit on the Navy ...
and I have asked them before coming here I called a couple of friends you know tell me about the submarines
They said it’s all about the Golden Dolphins.
What does that mean to a normal person who comes you know,
and what is the aspiration of getting the golden dolphins on your Uniform.
Its submission of your passion, your devotion, your sweat and your toil,
which you put in for one year.
And if you come out of that successful,
this is something that you put on your Uniform, but it gets imprinted on your heart
Thank you so much sir
All the best for this course
I hope I don’t disappoint you sir, Thank you so much
Harman kya lagta hai?
I am ready. 
Lets do this.
I've gained a lot of confidence after talking to captain Chandra…. That I can do
Shreyas Sir, I have to address you as Sir now.
Yes, First things first you need to take a haircut.
No, no, no look at my hair. It’s so nice
I think I am ready just bring the suit… diving… let’s do this
You need to get a haircut first
Why? Really need a hair cut?
Yes, Lets go
How are you feeling Harman?
I am feeling very good. I am feeling much lighter, and yes...
the hair is gone
It’s actually looking quite nice.
I’m getting the feeling that I am in the Marines.
We are ready. Step no.1 is done
now sir please give me the diving suit I am ready.
Let’s go for the submarine theory first
What does the submarine theory mean?
We are going to understand and then we will go for the practical’s
So I will have to study too now?
Ofcourse
Ok Harman this is our library
I love it sir. I love books.
Let me give you this .
Under water warrior.
Sir, this book seems a bit too heavy. How many books will I read apart from this?
I think you should read this too.
Modification books are also left.
And this is your operation of maintenance of the excide battery
You need to know all this
And this is test 71 A torpedo
Sir I mean this is a ton of work for me.
 
This is like my school all over again,
I love books but not academic books
But the studies in this are what I used to run away from from, and that’s why I got this job.
But today life has come full circle
 
 
 
 
 
