MAHASAGAR Initiative Outlines Indian Maritime Strategy Roadmap

The geopolitical equations in the Indian sub-continent have undergone a rapid change in the past month and keeping the present scenario in mind and to ensure the country continues to successfully negate traditional and non-traditional security threats, the Chintan Research Foundation organised a day-long conference on ‘The MAHASAGAR INITIATIVE IN THE CURRENT SECURITY CONTEXT’ in New Delhi.

With stellar panels comprising domain experts, the conference shed light on the intricacies related to maritime security, especially in the backdrop of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.

As India’s maritime vision evolves to “MAHASAGAR” (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions), the need to build on it has become all the more important in the context of the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, which has significantly changed the security context of the Indian Ocean Region. It has not only exposed the deep nexus between the Pakistani State (Military) and the terror network, but has also demonstrated India’s firm resolve to fight against terror.

In his keynote address, Admiral RK Dhowan, PVSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd), emphasised on the strategic importance of the Indian Ocean, particularly in the context of the turbulence in neighbouring countries.

He highlighted the rising threats in the region, including maritime terrorism, illegal and unregulated fishing, and other evolving non-traditional challenges that require multi-dimensional responses.

Addressing the security outlook post recent India–Pakistan conflict, he said: “Armed forces alone don’t go to war — nations do. What we saw recently was a whole-of-nation response and India is fully prepared to defend itself if required.”

He also lauded Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi’s strategic vision, linking it to the MAHASAGAR Initiative.

He particularly called out the need for a cleaner, safer maritime future, extending the spirit of Swachh Bharat to the oceans through what he termed as ‘Swachh Sagar’ — a cleaner sea for future generations.

“Garbage dumping has had a detrimental impact on Indian Ocean. Collective action is needed to combat ocean dumping, plastic waste, and pollution-induced global warming,” he added.

In his welcome address, Mr. Shishir Priyadarshi, President, Chintan Research Foundation, highlighted the growing importance of the maritime sector in the future growth strategies of nations.

“We should focus on peace and stability in the Indian Ocean, because this is what will lead to economic and sustained growth. And that is what the ‘G’ in MAHASAGAR stands for - sustained and holistic growth, just as the ‘R’ stands for the region, reminding us of the shared responsibility we hold across the Indian Ocean and the Global South,” he said.

With the objective of developing actionable recommendations for strengthening India’s maritime strategies by engaging in dialogue and collaboration among policymakers, academics, and experts, the conference was able to successfully achieve its goal through engaging sessions and takeaways from both experts and audiences.   

From exploring India’s evolving maritime strategy and leadership in the Global South to India’s economic and strategic partnerships under MAHASAGAR, the sessions covered areas which have assumed immense strategic importance in the backdrop of sustained hostile environment in the Indian sub-continent.

The eclectic list of panellists for the sessions comprised Amb. Rajiv Bhatia, Distinguished Fellow, Gateway House; Ms. Swati Ganeshan, Visiting Fellow, Chintan Research Foundation; Dr. Cchavi Vasisht, Associate Fellow, Chintan Research Foundation; Mr. SK Tripathi, former R&AW Chief;  Mr. Nitin Gokhale, Founder, StratNews Global; Dr. Shalini Chawla, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Air Power Studies; Col. Vivek Chadha, Senior Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses; Brig. Rahul Bhonsle, Director, Security Risks Asia; Prof. Chintamani Mahapatra, Founder and Honorary Chairman, Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies; Captain Sarabjeet S Parmar, Distinguished Fellow, Council for Strategic and Defence Research; Mr. Jayant Mishra, Member, Executive Council, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses; Prof. A Subramanyam Raju, Centre for South Asian Studies, Pondicherry University; Dr. Pragya Pandey, Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA); Prof. Gulshan Sachdeva, Centre for European Studies, JNU; Amb. Preeti Saran, Former Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs and Ms. Ruchita Beri, Senior Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF).