SAARC Diary: INS Ranvijay on Goodwill Visit to Colombo
NEW DELHI, Apr 14: The fifth Rajput Class Destroyer, INS Ranvijay, is on a three-day goodwill visit to Colombo from Wednesday. The Anti-Submarine Warfare Guided Missile Destroyer is outfitted with the cutting-edge indigenous Bramhos Super Sonic Missile. The arrival of the Indian Naval Ship represents a message of solidarity and harmony for the people of Sri Lanka on the auspicious occasion of ‘Avurudu,’ – ‘The Sinhalese New Year’ with best wishes for their defense, safety, good health, and happiness, according to the Indian High Commission in Colombo.
Captain Narayanan Hariharan the commander of the ship, will call on the Area Commander Western Naval Area, RAdm WDEM Sudarshana, and pay his respects at the IPKF memorial.
India and Sri Lanka have a long history of strong defence and security cooperation. Their navies have been actively engaged in mutually beneficial preparation and capacity building cooperation. The ship’s visit is yet another step in the development of strong maritime and security cooperation between the two friendly and close neighbours, the Indian High Commission release said.
Bhutan:
To kick off India@75 in Bhutan, the Embassy of India in Thimphu will host a nationwide quiz in collaboration with the Ministry of Education of Bhutan and Bhutan Broadcasting Service, the country’s national broadcaster. Students from classes X-XII one from each Dzongkhag (district) of Bhutan, including the Royal Academy, Paro, will compete in this one-of-a-kind initiative. The Quiz will be divided into two rounds, with the preliminary round taking place on April 16, 2021, and the final round taking place on April 23, 2021.
According to the Indian Embassy in Thimphu, The India@75 Preliminary Round will feature 21 teams of two students each, with the participants being quizzed on India’s accomplishments from 1947 to the present, as well as the special India-Bhutan friendship over the past 52 years. Both teams will be asked 25 questions at the same time, and the four teams with the highest scores will advance to the final round of the India @75 Quiz.
The India@75 Quiz will be a keynote event organised by the Indian Embassy in Thimphu as part of the 75th anniversary of Indian independence in Bhutan.
(Venkatesh Iyer)