London: The Captain of INS Tabar has expressed his sheer joy at the sight of the hundreds who lined the banks of the river Thames to greet the Indian naval warship with chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ as it glided under the iconic Tower Bridge for its London stay.

Captain M R Harish and his crew of the stealth frigate have been hosting members of the Indian community since it docked beside HMS Belfast on Wednesday, with its Naval Band set to entertain with some classic Bollywood melodies over the weekend.

Though the India-UK bilateral Konkan exercise could not take place during this visit, the ship has been holding a series of professional engagements, including a visit by Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard to underline the strength of the defence partnership.

“It was a surreal experience as the London Tower Bridge opened for us and as the thousands of people gathered to greet us came into sight; in fact, it was so patriotic that for a moment I almost forgot my primary task of navigating and began waving back,” Captain Harish told PTI aboard INS Tabar.

During a reception co-hosted with the High Commission of India in London, High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and the Captain greeted officials from the Royal Navy, armed forces dignitaries, diplomats and their families.

“We are looking more at collaborating our maritime efforts. British ships have been operating in the Indian Ocean region. So, it naturally translates that we come over here, operate with them, exchange ideas, build up better understanding of each other's capabilities, so that when we are at sea tackling common issues, we are better prepared to deal with them,” said Captain Harish.

Besides a friendly cricket match between the Indian and UK armed forces teams, the crew have been visiting a veteran’s hospital and hosting guided tours for the diaspora during the four-day stay.

The stealth frigate, which is on ongoing Operational Deployment to European nations, will continue its tour of the Nordics from the UK. It sets sail for Gothenburg in Sweden next, where it will celebrate Independence Day with a unique run as a nod to 77 years of independence – with 77 members running 7.7km, with some Swedish armed forces runners also joining in solidarity.

The visit of the warship to the UK, part of the Western Fleet of the Indian Navy, forms part of a regular exchange between Indian and British navies. INS Tabar is equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors and is among the earliest stealth frigates of the Indian Navy, which is based in Mumbai under the Western Naval Command.

(With Input From Agencies)