India's first world-class, premium cruise liner was launched off the Mumbai harbour on Friday. Jalesh, the 2,000-passenger capacity ship with state-of-the-art facilities was christened Karnika by Shreyasi Goenka who took on the mantle of the vessel's Godmother.
A special postal stamp of was released to commemorate the historic occasion on Indian waters. Milkha Singh, the first Indian athlete to win a gold at the Commonwealth Games, Sushmita Sen, the first Indian to win Miss Universe, Mahesh Bhupathi, the first Indian to win a Grand Slam tournament, and Mary Kom, the first Indian woman boxer to win Asian Games, were among those who graced the occasion.
Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Chandra was the chief guest in the event.
Karnika has been named after a celestial nymph, who according to legend emerged when gods and demons churned the ocean for 'amrit', the elixir for life. The name also reflects a true Indian identity drawing inspiration from the first Indian ghat – Manikarnika in Varanasi.
Jurgen Bailom, President & CEO of Jalesh Cruises, said, "Our ship will make it possible for Indians to experience cruise vacations closer home with high level of customisation that touches the sensibilities of people here."
The 70,285-ton ship sailed on its maiden voyage from Mumbai to Goa on April 17. Karnika will undertake 15 sailings for Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai and Mumbai-High Seas-Mumbai between April and mid-May 2019. The ship will undertake its first international sail from Mumbai to Dubai on May 24 where it will port until mid-September before returning to Mumbai.
On board, passengers will have a variety of cuisines, entertainment, adventure and relaxation to choose from. Additionally, the cruise offers land-based excursions at different ports for passengers.
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