Following the Independence of India, he was appointed executive officer of "Cauvery", and in 1948, was appointed first lieutenant of the flagship . In 1949, he was appointed director of personnel services at NHQ and in 1950 took command of the R class destroyer, , which represented India at the coronation review of the fleet. Nanda subsequently commanded the Black Swan-class sloop and the 16th frigate squadron. In 1954, he was appointed Chief of Personnel and constituted commodore 2nd class in September 1956. Appointed the commissioning commanding officer of the new flagship of the Navy, the Crown Colony-class cruiser , he commissioned the ship in August 1957 at Birkenhead. In 1958, he took over as the Director General Naval Dockyard Expansion Scheme. After attending the Imperial Defence College in 1962, he returned to India and was appointed Chief of Materiel at NHQ.