In a seamless bridge from our ancient maritime heritage to the emerging Navy of a young India, the role of the predecessors of the Indian Navy - the Royal Indian Marines and the Royal Indian Navy - in the early part of the 20th century is a timeless inheritance of a maritime nation and part of the fabric of our maritime consciousness. During the two World Wars, their theatre of operations extended across an oceanic expanse from the North Atlantic to the Singapore Strait and from the Chuangs of Burma to the Mediterranean and beyond. At our Online Talk #TimelessWake, maritime historian Cmde Odakkal Johnson will examine India’s naval contribution during the World Wars and showcase select action points from World War I and a few fascinating accounts of World War II.

About the speaker

Commodore Odakkal Johnson is a serving officer of the Indian Navy and the Director of the Maritime History Society. He is the author of ‘Timeless Wake – The Legacy of Royal Indian Navy in World War II’ and has co-edited ‘Essays in Maritime Studies: Vol III’. A renowned speaker in maritime matters, he is a visiting faculty on Research Methodology as well as in Maritime Knowledge at the Naval War College, Goa, the Indian Naval Academy, the University of Mumbai, Central University of Gujarat, and other renowned institutions. He has written numerous papers in eminent journals as well as many articles and online content for a general readership in a mission to enhance a spirit of maritime consciousness in India.