Goa, Dec. 16 -- SHASHWAT GUPTA RAY

Fifty-four years after he flew a daring strike deep into enemy territory, former Indian Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash vividly recalls bombing West Pakistan's critical Chak lala air base-now Noor Khan-as a young Lieu tenant during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Awarded the Vir Chakra for his bravery, Prakash had flown Hawker Hunter aircraft with an Indian Air Force squadron, an ex traordinary chapter in a career that would later culminate at the helm of the Navy. Speaking from Dabolim in South Goa, the decorated veteran reflected on his first combat mission, the evolution of warfare over five decades, and Goa's growing strategic importance in India's maritime security architecture. "It was the fir...