Raju Vernekar is a senior journalist based in Mumbai with a prolific career spanning several decades. He has contributed articles and photographs to numerous national and regional publications, including The Indian Express, The Clarity, The Afternoon, The Daily, Sunday Observer, The Free Press Journal, Lokmat Times (Aurangabad), The Hindustan Times (New Delhi), O Herald O (Goa), The Daily Excelsior (Jammu & Kashmir), Hans India Publications (New Delhi, Hyderabad, Karnataka), Deccan Herald (Bangalore), The Evening News (Bangalore), The Hill Times (Assam), The Sikkim Express (Sikkim), Imphal Times (Manipur), Arunachal Times (Arunachal Pradesh), The Garhwal Post (Uttarakhand), and Transcontinental Times (Spain).In addition to English media, he has also written for several Marathi and Hindi publications, including the Marmik Marathi weekly, Prahaar daily, Konkan Sakal and Sakal.Vernekar strongly believes that extorting bribes from oceangoing vessels on flimsy grounds is deeply shameful—particularly when India’s Defence Forces have consistently provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) to ships in distress across South Asia and beyond. Such misconduct, he asserts, undermines India’s reputation in global maritime cooperation.