To know the impact of the aircraft carrier Vikrant, tune into PTV when the channel begins its annual exercise of churning out canards about the Pakistan Navy's non-existent war victories. Chances are you'd see more historic footage of the Vikrant there than in any Indian channel.Documentary after documentary grudgingly mentions the prowess of this ship. The only act of bravery that the Pakistanis ever do in another documentary is slipping away from the naval blockade imposed by this aircraft carrier in the 1971 war. Aged submariners lament at not being able to see the Vikrant in their sights, never mind nearly a 100 of them in one submarine died trying to do so in that war.Such is the psychological impact of the name across this border. And yet the plight of this ship, decommissioned from service two years ago, in its own country has been like those of our soldiers - forgotten as soon as the war is over.For nearly five years now, the rusting warship has lain in its berth at the Naval Dockyardawaiting the political will for a final mission as a museum and war memorial for a nation and navy it has served for over three decades.It became the victim of cruel political games when the present Chief Minister quietly shelved the project. The result was a tiny little tender notice putting up a piece of national heritage for sale. And it finally it took another politician, Bal Thackeray, to throw a lifebelt to the ship soon after it came under the hammer.As one admiral put it, it probably took us a Kargil to save the ship from the scrapyard. Let's hope the Vikrant turns into a fitting memorial for those martyrs.
