Team Café
The feat took place at Radhanagar Beach on Swaraj Dweep (Havelock Island), where 223 divers, including members of the Navy, police, and various other agencies, participated in the carefully planned operation. The gigantic Tricolour, measuring nearly 60 by 40 metres, was spread beneath the sea through a highly coordinated effort involving multiple agencies and specially trained divers, officials said.
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The event was attended by Lieutenant Governor D K Joshi, Chief Secretary Chandra Bhushan Kumar, Director General of Police H S Dhaliwal, and several senior officials who gathered to witness the historic moment. The challenging underwater unfurling was carried out through the joint efforts of personnel from the Andaman and Nicobar Police, the Forest Department, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Coast Guard, along with scuba divers representing different diving centres.
Among the 200-plus divers who took part in the operation, the youngest participants were three school students, Fateh Jahaan Singh (16), Lavanya Eira (15), and Ranvijay Singh (14). Officials said that at 10.35 am, Guinness World Records adjudicator Rishi Nath officially recognised the accomplishment and handed over the certificate to Joshi. Speaking at the event, the Lieutenant Governor commended the dedication and seamless coordination displayed by the teams, describing the achievement as another remarkable milestone in the islands’ history of distinctive accomplishments.
Fateh Jahaan Singh, a 16-year-old Class 12 student from Shri Ram School in Gurugram, shared his excitement with PTI, saying, “I don’t have words to express how beautiful the marine world is. I am feeling so proud to have become a part of this event.” Apart from diving, he is also a trained equestrian and has represented at several international competitions. The other two youngest divers, Lavanya Eira and Ranvijay Singh, students of Class 11 at Rishi Valley School in Bengaluru and Class 10 at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in New Delhi, respectively, also expressed immense excitement over being part of the record-setting feat. “Holding our national flag underwater is a truly emotional moment and gave us an adrenaline rush,” they said.
Just a day after a historic underwater flag unfurling, another milestone was created off the coast of Swaraj Dweep as fourteen divers, including Lieutenant Governor DK Joshi, went underwater to form a human stack that earned a Guinness World Record. The team maintained the formation beneath the sea for three minutes, while the structure measured an impressive 22.3 metres, successfully fulfilling all Guinness World Records requirements. The achievement followed within 24 hours of the underwater unfurling of India’s largest national flag in the same waters, making it another landmark moment for the island. Officials said the two record-setting events, carried out on back-to-back days near Swaraj Dweep, were part of a carefully designed government initiative rather than isolated attempts. The objective was to spotlight the region’s rich marine ecosystem while also demonstrating the expertise and capabilities of the local diving community. Authorities believe both accomplishments will generate widespread national as well as international media attention in the weeks ahead.
