The Sea our Strength

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About IMF

Our Founder

Commodore Rajan Vir founded the Indian Maritime Foundation in Pune in 1993, and with branches in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai with the aim of raising awareness of the oceans in the public and to rekindle maritime consciousness and pride in them.

Born in Jammu in 1930, Cmde Vir was selected for the Royal Indian Navy in 1949 and was trained at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, UK. He served on board various warships and in training establishments of the Royal Navy from 1949 to 1953. He also took part in the Korean War as a Midshipman on board the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious in 1951. On returning to India as a Sub Lieutenant in 1953, he served on board several ships of the Indian Navy, including the aircraft carrier Vikrant and went on to command 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).

Cmde Vir also served as Naval ADC to the first President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, from 1956 to 1958. He retired from the Indian Navy in 1978 in the rank of Captain and served with the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) as a seagoing Captain for 13 years until 1991, commanding ten merchant ships of different types, including tankers, bulk carriers, container ships and a passenger ship.

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. He was also an active member of the Rotary Club for more than thirty years and held several assignments in his Rotary Club as well as in the Rotary District. He also set up the Society of Indian Marine Artists (SIMA) and the Ocean Savers of India (OSI) under the IMF and co-founded the Rashtriya Life Saving Society (RLSS), with Rear Admiral PD Sharma (Retd). He 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.

Cmde Vir served as the President IMF till 2020, when he handed over that duty to Capt Dixit, choosing to take on a mentorship role as President Emeritus. Nevertheless, he regularly attended and remained involved in all the IMF’s activities despite suffering progressively ill health. Cmde Vir passed away at the age of 94 on the morning of 20 July 2024 in Pune. He 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 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.

Our Objectives

The Indian Maritime Foundation has an exciting agenda of activities, which are mainly:

  • To promote awareness of and debate in all aspects of India’s maritime interests, especially in the field of naval, geostrategic, shipping and ports, marine art, underwater technology, marine environment activities, etc.
  • To generate awareness of and research in India’s maritime heritage and related history.
  • To publish a quarterly journal, SeaGull, which carries features and articles on national and international maritime matters and reports on current issues of maritime interest. Furthermore, it helps to break down barriers amongst different disciplines of the sea whilst promoting coordination amongst them.
  • To maintain a maritime information database, especially on careers, and a library, with special reference to India.
  • To promote “Ocean Savers of India” scheme to kindle maritime consciousness among the children and the youth of India by organizing lectures on careers, history, heritage, etc and outbound maritime tours to ships and other places of interest.
  • To coordinate International Coastal Cleanup in India and to organize lectures and workshops in schools and colleges on the marine environment.
  • To foster an environment of informed maritime opinion among the various maritime interests, such as naval, shipbuilding and repair, fisheries, environmental, marine art, and underwater technology, etc. through lectures, seminars, and workshops.
  • To raise awareness in India on the importance of Underwater Technology.

Our Partnerships

The IMF is closely associated and interacts actively with the following maritime organizations:-

In India
Abroad

Your support to the foundation is vital for us to implement the various objectives we have set for ourselves. Projects of this magnitude and scope require an immense amount of time and a significant budget. Our energetic team of volunteers is devoting enormous effort and making substantial financial contributions. Please become a member of the Indian Maritime Foundation and join us in the adventure of raising awareness about our oceans and making our people sea-minded.

The Indian Maritime Foundation is a registered charity, and is registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860, vide letter no. Maharashtra 9238-94 Pune. Dated 2nd May 1994. It is also registered vide Bombay Public Trust Act 1980 (letter no. F 9428 Pune dated 6th June 1994).

Donations to the Indian Maritime Foundation are exempted under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act 1961 vide the Commissioner of Income Tax letter no: PN/CIT-1/80G/70/2009-10/4124 dt. 24.07.2009 valid from 01.04.2009 to 31.03.2012.

Donate Now

CSR Grant

The objectives and activities of Indian Maritime Foundation qualify for CSR grant under the following categories:

  • Heritage, Art and Culture
  • Education
  • Environmental Protection
  • Swachh Bharat

Your CSR grant will be well utilized for raising awareness of India’s maritime heritage through our Maritime Museum and Maritime Learning Centre. Help us also in our drive to clean up the beaches and riverbanks of India.

Our CSR Registration Number is CSR00056337.