Hyderabad: The H.K. Sherwani Centre for Deccan Studies of MANUU gathered a host of experts to discuss the possibilities of strengthening the potential of maritime life in the country with many of them pointing out that the subject did not get as much attention it required.
The daylong conference threw up some wonderful ideas and underscored the importance of giving the required importance to the subject. The conference was held in cooperation with the Society for Indian Ocean Studies (SIOS), New Delhi. The theme of the brainstorming was “The Deccan: Maritime Outlook and Opportunities.
Eminent speakers at the conference were Ambassador Sudhir Devare, Chairperson SIOS, Admiral Arun Prakash, Former Naval Chief and Chief of Defence Staff, Prof. P.V. Rao, Former Director, Indian Ocean Centre, Osmania University, Prof. Krishnendra Meena, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, JNU and Secretary General SIOS, and Dr. Sanjeev Ranjan, former Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India. The inaugural session of the conference was chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of MANUU, Prof Syed Ainul Hasan.
The conference said since India is moving towards transforming global maritime trade and being promoted as a responsible maritime nation under the concept of Blue Economy, the idea of discussion was appreciated at various levels.
The participants said that not often do universities have talks about shipping and fishing. But this is a theme that has been in focus in the past few months in the ministries of defence, external affairs, culture and Indian Navy.
India is keen to showcase its ancient heritage as a naval ship building and ocean going power. India had a big shipbuilding industry with shipping trade spread across the globe. And since the H.K.Sherwani Centre for Deccan Studies deals with both the coastlines of Coromandel and Konkan-Malabar, it was appropriate to hold a conference on India’s Maritime Outlook and Opportunities, Prof Salma Farooqui, Director H K Sherwani Centre for Deccan Studies said.
The Global Maritime India Summit 2023 held at Mumbai from 17th to 19th October opened up great opportunities for India’s maritime sector to emerge as a major world economy. Developing ports and logistics, modernizing infrastructure, promoting coastal shipping, island development, shipbuilding, and repair is the new Blue Economy that India is promoting. India is all set to emerge as a responsible maritime nation.
The themes of the conference at MANUU encompassed issues ranging from defence strategy, trade routes, and communications, the technology of fishing and shipping, marine spatial planning, maritime connections, and the present state of ports, shipping, and shipbuilding in India. An important lecture was given on the geopolitical significance of India’s Middle-East Europe economic corridor.
The discussion unlocked the immense potential in maritime research, education, and skill development by establishing collaborations between academia and industry.
It was attended by a cross-section of eminent people from the city, teachers, research scholars, and students from different universities.
