INDIA: It's a historic moment; new aircraft carrier, new flag, farewell to the colonial past

The Prime Minister unveiled the new flag of the Navy. INS is the first indigenously built aircraft carrier in the country. The new flag was unveiled at a function commissioned by Vikrant. The Prime Minister officially handed over the new ship to the Navy and presented the new flag of the force to the nation.

The Navy's new flag is part of India's move to say goodbye to its colonial past. On the left side of the white flag is the flag of India above and on the right side the new insignia of the Navy consists of the Indian national emblem with the national motto 'Satyamev Jayate' engraved in Devanagari script, the anchor and the Navy's motto.

Vikrant, India's first indigenously built aircraft carrier, was commissioned at a ceremony in the southern state of Kerala. On Friday morning, the 45,000 tonne Vikrant received the prefix INS (Indian Naval Ship) at a formal commissioning ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the moment after 13 years.

Measuring 262 meters (860 ft) long and nearly 60 meters (197 ft) tall, the ship is India's first self-designed and built aircraft carrier. It has the capacity to accommodate 30 fighter jets and helicopters.

India's other aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, can carry more than thirty aircraft. The indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant is sure to lift the spirits of Indians of India as it leaves the dock of Cochin Shipyard after a ceremony held in Kochi on 12th August 2013. The Vikrant trial began in 2013 before extensive trials began. The Vikrant, valued at around 200 billion rupees ($2.5 billion; £2.1 billion), was expected to be commissioned into the navy by 2017. But the second phase of its construction was delayed.

But the commissioning of the ship is a historic moment for India, which will join a select group of countries capable of building such a ship. It also fueled Modi's plans to boost domestic defense production.

Also special is the name 'Vikrant' (meaning brave) - the name of India's first aircraft carrier purchased from the UK and commissioned in 1961. The first INS Vikrant was a major symbol of national pride and played an important role in several military operations – including the 1971 war – before being decommissioned in 1997.

Vikrant is at the state-owned Cochin Shipyard in Kerala, where the ship was built and the commissioning ceremony took place. Once in service, it will eventually be the workplace and home for 1,700 crew members. Ahead of the ceremony, technicians were everywhere – fixing cables, polishing interiors, making sure everything was in shape for commissioning.

Crowded with crew, journalists and visitors, the interior of the ship felt like an endless complex of noisy workshops. After being commissioned on Friday, the new Vikrant will sail in the Indian Ocean and international waters, escorted by frigates, destroyers and submarines for its protection.