Dear Members,

Commodore Rajan Vir, an illustrious member of the Navy Foundation Pune Chapter as well as the Founder and President Emeritus, Indian Maritime Foundation sadly left for his heavenly abode today morning the 20th July 2024.

Commodore Rajan Vir was born in Jammu in 1930. He studied in Lahore at the well known Government College, and later graduated from East Punjab University in 1948 with Botany and Chemistry as major subjects. He was selected for the Royal Indian Navy in 1949 and went to England where he was trained at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, and in warships and the training establishments of the Royal Navy from 1949 to 1953. He also was a Korean War veteran, having served as a Midshipman on board aircraft carrier HMS Glory in 1951. On returning to the Indian Navy as a Sub Lieutenant in 1953, he served on board several ships of the fleet, including the aircraft carrier Vikrant. He commanded two ships of the Western Fleet in the rank of Commander and Captain, the frigate INS Kuthar (1970-71) and the Fleet Tanker INS Deepak (1975-76).

Commodore Vir served as Naval ADC to the first President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, from 1956 to 1958. He then specialized in Navigation and Aircraft Direction and, later, he graduated from the Royal Naval Staff College, Greenwich, England in 1967. He was an Instructor at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington (Nilgiris) for three years (1967-70). Commodore Vir served as Naval Attache at the Indian Embassies in Indonesia and Singapore (1971–74). He subsequently held senior appointments at Naval Headquarters, New Delhi, as the Director of Naval Intelligence and the Director of Personnel Services (1976-78).

Commodore Vir retired from the Indian Navy in 1978 in the rank of Captain at his own request and thereafter joined the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) as a seagoing Captain. While serving with the SCI for 13 years until 1991, he commanded ten merchant ships of different types, including tankers, bulk carriers, container ships and a passenger ship.

Commodore Vir had an MSc degree in Defence Studies from Madras University and a post-graduate degree in Transport Management from the Chartered Institute of Transport Management, London. He was elected as a Fellow of the Nautical Institute, England in 2010.

Commodore Vir was the Founder of the Indian Maritime Foundation, a non-profit organization established in Pune in 1993, with branches in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. Its aim is to raise awareness of the oceans in the public and to rekindle maritime consciousness and pride in them. In other words, the aim is to make our people sea-minded. Cmde Vir served as the President IMF till 2020, however regularly attended and remained involved in all its activities despite suffering progressively ill health.

Commodore Rajan Vir was awarded the honorary rank of Commodore by the President of India in 2006 in recognition of his leadership in the Foundation’s growth and development and for his outstanding contribution in fostering international understanding and cooperation in the maritime field, as head of the Indian Maritime Foundation.

Commodore Vir was the Adviser and Representative in India of the World Ocean Observatory, New York. He was the founding Coordinator for India of the International Coastal Cleanup for ten years (2002-2012), conducted world-wide annually by the Ocean Conservancy, located in Washington DC.

Commodore Vir was also an active member of Rotary for more than thirty years and held several assignments in his Rotary Club as well as in the Rotary District.

Commodore Vir is survived by two sons, Atul and Rahul, who live in the US, and a daughter Naina who is living in Pune.

The life of Commodore Rajan Vir is an inspiration to all those he has left behind in the Navy Foundation as well as the Indian Maritime Foundation and worthy of emulation by those who strive for excellence in life. His yeoman contribution not only to the Indian and Merchant Navies, but more importantly in raising maritime awareness amongst citizens of India has left a lasting legacy and the maritime community will continue to follow all the initiatives that he had started with full vigour.

On behalf of President and all members of NFPC and IMF we offer our heartfelt condolences to sons Atul and Rahul and daughter Naina. We pray that they face the irreplaceable loss with courage and fortitude.

NOK : Naina Delvis (Daughter) +91 98230 35692

 Team NFPC