New Delhi: Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) marked the 80th Independence Day at the HSL Colony parade ground on Saturday, with the shipyard’s chairman and managing director, Rear Admiral Chandrasekharan Raghuram, VSM (retired), unfurling the national flag and setting out a vision for HSL to become “the shipyard this nation turns to first” for strategic platforms, refits and dependable delivery on the road to a developed India by 2047.
The C&MD reviewed a parade comprising security and fire service personnel, NCC cadets, Rover Scouts, Scouts & Guides, and students from HSL and neighbouring schools in Visakhapatnam.
Addressing Team HSL, Rear Admiral Raghuram described the workforce as the shipyard’s “true capital and real strength.” Machines, technology and capital can be bought, he said, but not the skill of a welder’s hand, the discipline of a technician or the judgement of an experienced officer.
Recalling the yard’s legacy since 1941, he said every ship built and vessel repaired under the Indian flag was “a tribute to the sacrifices that gave us freedom,” and highlighted HSL’s continuing role in strategic platforms, complex shipbuilding and refit work as its contribution to a self-reliant, secure India in line with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision.
“HSL does not only build ships. It builds community, responsibility, and a greener tomorrow,” the C&MD said, adding that a stronger yard must mean a stronger community. He reaffirmed the shipyard’s focus on employee welfare, training and quality of life, and thanked the families whose support sustains Team HSL.
The C&MD presented commendation letters for exemplary service and felicitated winners of a Clean & Green competition. He and other directors also planted saplings under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam initiative, reinforcing HSL’s environmental commitments. Cultural performances by schoolchildren were also part of the celebrations.