 "INS Vikrant being dismantled at a ship breaking yard in Mumbai")
March 4, 1976. The frantic cries of "Brakes, brakes, brakes" were like a silent cacophony that somehow eluded Commander Peter Debrass' ears. As he revved up the engines of his Sea Hawk and prepared to take off from INS Vikrant, somewhere in the Arabian Sea around noon, all Debrass heard was a clattering sound that he could not distinguish.
Seconds later, the ship's catapult malfunctioned and Debrass' Sea Hawk plunged into the ocean. The cockpit was filled with water almost instantly. As the ship moved right above him, Debrass waited patiently to be rescued.
Ten years on from the most frightening two minutes of his life, in 1986, Debrass was made commanding officer of Vikrant. After his tenure drew to a close, Debrass resigned from the Indian Navy. "After commanding a ship like Vikrant, there could have been no appointment that could have matched it. There could have been no greater honour. So, I decided it was time to go," says Debrass, all these years later.
For Debrass and so many others who served on India's first aircraft carrier, Vikrant was the quintessence of national pride and intrepidity, a warship ahead of its time that delivered for India two emphatic battle wins against Pakistan - in 1965 and 1971. Soon after being purchased from the Royal Navy in 1957, Vikrant, then known as HMS Hercules, was sent to Belfast, where it was completed and modified by Harland and Wolff - the same company that built the ill-fated RMS Titanic. It was formally inducted into the Indian Navy in 1961.
Others remember Vikrant as a unique ship that brought with it the warmth and devotedness of a mother. As H S Rawat, the ship's last commanding officer, says, there can be no bigger testament to Vikrant's splendour. "When you were landing an aircraft on a deck as small as Vikrant's, it was like coming into your mother's arms," reminisces Rawat.
"You couldn't compare it with any ship in the entire sub-continent. Suddenly, we could hit targets from 70 miles. Earlier it was just 150 miles," says Premvir Das, former commander-in-chief of the Eastern Naval Command.
When the ship was sent to the scrap yard in 2014 - years after the Indian government prosaically tried to turn it into a museum in Mumbai - all servicemen associated with the ship, rather expectedly, were distraught. A majestic icon of India's wartime heroics was going to be ripped apart before their very eyes; a towering symbol of the Indian armed forces was about to be bludgeoned into specks of seemingly worthless metal.
Around the same time, an ambitious yet ingenuous idea was taking shape in Rajiv Bajaj's mind. At a meeting with executives from Leo Burnett, the firm that manages advertising for Bajaj Auto, this idea was discussed, and then thumpingly applauded. Bajaj Auto was about to add a healthy sprinkling of patriotism to its motorcycles.
In March, the company revealed the Bajaj V, a 150cc motorcycle that pays tribute to the invincible legacy of Vikrant. As the ship was being ruthlessly wracked, Bajaj Auto stepped in and purchased a large amount of scrap metal.
After much brainstorming and deliberation between engineers, the company decided to use the scrap metal for the manufacturing of the fuel tank of the V bike.
"For some time, our consumers had been demanding a mature and solid bike that they could ride with pride; something that would make them stand out. With the Vikrant, we found the ideal combination," says Sumeet Narang, vice-president (marketing), Bajaj Auto.
The bike's fuel tank is embellished with a "V", shaped in the form an aircraft carrier. "Moreover, we wanted to create something different for the executive segment," adds Narang.
Saurabh Varma, CEO, Leo Burnett (South Asia), says that this is an idea that touches hearts. "It is an idea that is moving and connects with people. You feel a great sense of pride when you buy the Bajaj V."
Plaudits for the idea have been overflowing. K V Sridhar, chief creative officer at SapientNitro India, says that he hasn't seen such a concept in his life. "It is such a brilliant idea, nothing like I've seen before. Bajaj Auto must be complimented for its vision." He adds that with such a product idea, the company does not require any marketing strategy. "The bike will do well on its own now. The idea is so good."
Apart from designing the entire campaign, Leo Burnett was also behind Sons of Vikrant, a documentary produced by Keroscene Films, which features a number of ex-Navy officers who served on Vikrant.
"When we were launching the bike - across 600 dealerships - we invited several former officers who were associated with Vikrant. They spontaneously started narrating their stories. So, we thought we should make a film out of it," says Eric Vas, who heads Bajaj Auto's motorcycle business.
For a product in which Bajaj Auto has invested immense creative capital, the returns have been phenomenal. The auto maker sold 24,057 units of the V in April, helping it storm into the list of the top 10 selling motorcycles in the country.
"We were expecting a good response. But this is truly great. People feel strongly about this bike," says Narang. "That's why the numbers are so good."
At a Bajaj Auto showroom in Delhi's Lajpat Nagar, large hoardings with the image of the V dominate the view. Inside, the V enjoys special status - parked under gleaming yellow lights. A couple of early morning customers carefully inspect the bike. Aggressive promotion has meant that inquiries have gone up in the last month.
Anand Kumar Sharma, the manager at the outlet, tells me that more than the patriotic attraction, the bike is a sturdy offering from Bajaj Auto that was always going to do well. "Bajaj Auto generally does well in this segment. Vikrant may have played a factor but overall, it's a good bike. The pricing is also spot on," he says.
One will have to shell out Rs 62,000 to get one's hands on a piece of metal from Vikrant.
Others believe that this is Bajaj Auto's biggest launch since the Pulsar in 2001, a pioneering bike that revitalised the company and changed the two-wheeler market forever. All launches are important for us but yes, this one is more special, says Vas.
Bajaj Auto is currently rolling out 25,000 units of the V every month, manufactured at their Pantnagar and Waluj plants. The plan is to ramp up production to 30,000 units.
Contrary to initial fears that the bike may not find resonance with youngsters, most of who were born after Vikrant had become a debilitating military force, the V has defied expert logic and notched up stellar sales numbers.
"We did think about this - whether the bike will appeal to everyone. But then we realised that this was an idea that would cut across all age-groups. Now, everybody is buying it," explains Narang.
Bajaj is also quick to dispel the myth that it might not have enough scrap metal for the long-term manufacturing of the motorcycle. Even as cynics expressed their doubts over the V's production viability, Bajaj has throughout maintained that this is not a limited-edition product.
"Right now, there are no such fears. We have enough material for production. We are thinking long-term," says Vas. The company, though, refuses to reveal the amount of scrap metal it has bought or the price it paid for it.
Much like this project by Bajaj Auto, Vikrant was a unique ship. Even as bigger and more sophisticated ships have taken its place since Vikrant's decommission in 1997, the carrier will always evoke a wallop of nostalgia and satisfaction. As an aircraft carrier, Vikrant had no peers in the Asian continent. Bajaj, with this stirring tribute, would be hoping its bike can achieve the same.
