Kendrapada: INSV Kaundinya that recently completed its maiden voyage from Porbandar to Muscat was named after Kaundinya, a prince of Kalinga, who played a significant role in the early days of Indian migration.“Kaundinya of Kalinga should officially be recognised and declared as ‘Father of Indian merchant navy’, as he symbolises India’s earliest organised maritime trade,” said Bidyadhar Nayak, ex-naval officer of Indian Navy and president of Veterans Club Odisha.
Nayak has recently written a letter to chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi to press the Union government to declare Kaundinya as the ‘Father of Indian Merchant Navy’.
