An INS Vikrant scale model was unveiled at Museum Junction in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, adding a naval-themed public landmark to the Kerala capital and bringing India’s indigenous aircraft-carrier programme closer to residents and visitors.
Governor Rajendra Arlekar dedicated the installation in the presence of Vice-Admiral Sameer Saxena, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command. Former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar (retd), Thiruvananthapuram mayor V V Rajesh, and senior officials from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and state government attended the ceremony, according to the Times of India.
The model has been built at a scale of 1:24 and reproduces the distinctive features and configuration of INS Vikrant. It is part of an Indian Navy initiative to install replicas of the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier in cities across India.
INS Vikrant was commissioned into the Indian Navy on September 2, 2022, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Built by Cochin Shipyard Ltd in Kochi, the vessel is India’s first indigenously designed and constructed aircraft carrier and the largest warship built in the country.
The aircraft carrier’s construction involved advanced shipbuilding capabilities and complex naval engineering systems. The Navy has presented the scale model as a way to highlight India’s maritime heritage, its longstanding association with Kerala and the country’s growing capabilities in indigenous warship design and construction.
The installation also gives the city a new public-facing display connected to a major national engineering project. Rather than being located within a restricted naval or industrial facility, the model has been placed at Museum Junction, allowing visitors to view a representation of the carrier in an accessible urban setting.
The Navy said the installation is intended to inspire younger generations to pursue careers in science, technology and engineering, while increasing public awareness of India’s indigenous defence capabilities. Naval veterans and other dignitaries were also present at the dedication ceremony.
For Thiruvananthapuram, the model adds another institutional and civic reference point to a prominent city junction. Its significance will depend on how effectively the installation is maintained and integrated into the surrounding public environment, but the immediate purpose is to bring the achievements of India’s shipbuilding industry into a space used by the wider public.
