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India & The Indian Ocean Renewing the Maritime Trade & Civilisational Linkages
Conference Newsletter
I
Monday, March 23, 2015
Non-violence India’s strength:
Manohar Parrikar
ndia’s defence minister Manohar Parrikar
on Sunday called for greater deal of
cooperation among Indian Ocean Rim
countries. He said this while addressing
the closing ceremony of the three-day
international conference, ‘India and The
Indian Ocean: Renewing the Maritime Trade
and Civilisational Linkages’. He further
stated, “The Ocean can enrich and also
destroy; hence we should also be prepared
for any natural disaster and develop strong
relationships and communication among
neighbouring countries to avoid any kind
of disaster.”
The minister said that the new government’s
foreign policy is ‘Act East and look East.’
Indian Navy must remain a superior force
in the Indian Ocean region and assured
that the government would extend full
support for making it a truly blue water
navy.
He further said, “Ocean resources today
need attention like space. India’s coastline
is like a necklace with Indian Ocean Rim
countries. Culture and ancient ties are the
threads of this necklace”.
He proposed to strengthen the capacity
by forming a group and create a common
platform for Indian Ocean RIM region. He
added that the initiative and Bhubaneswar
declaration should be treated as the
beginning of IOR agenda. India has 47 per
cent of declared gas reserves, 50 per cent
of coastal traffic and one third of cargo
traffic in the Indian Ocean.
“Undoubtedly India’s strength is in nonviolence and I believe that non-violence
can be dictated by the one who is strong
while we respect everyone. A strong
person can dictate peace. It should also
be noted here that 95 per cent of genetic
material comes from fish. Also economy
of ocean is not dependent on the surface
of it but within it (other than fish), which
we have not explored yet. It is the source
of many natural resources and also nonrenewable power can be generated from
it,” added Parrikar.
Adding that Somali pirates are gradually
shifting their base, defence minister said
“Pirates are a big threat in this region.
Navy of several nations are trying to keep
a tab on them. But, off late, Somali pirates
are shifting their base and are proving to
be a considerable threat to international
shipping for a long time now”.
Stressing on the importance of the Indian
Ocean region in international trade and
maritime activities, Dharmendra Pradhan,
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural
Gas called the academics, think tanks,
policy makers in both central and state
governments to work together to reestablish the lost linkages. “The whole
region has the potential to emerge as
an economic power house with intense
economic, energy and trade activities.
India is prepared to play a leading role
in this context in the affairs of the Indian
Ocean region for the larger benefit of all
countries in our region.” Pradhan said.
Emphasising on cooperation, peace, trust
and transparency among IOR nations, Dr.
S C Jamir, Hon’ble Governor of Odisha said
the emergence of Indian Ocean maritime
cooperation calls for a climate of trust and
transparency; sensitivity to each other’s
interests that will ultimately contribute
to peace, stability and prosperity in the
region. “Indian Ocean which is the world’s
third largest ocean covering an estimated
one-fifth of the earth’s water surface,
offers a plethora of opportunities. It is
expected that the sea-lanes of the Indian
Ocean will become busier in the future as
global maritime trade grows in size and
importance.”
He further said, “The Indian Ocean is at
the crest of this wave, and with India’s
leadership and commitment we can bring
about a transformative change that we all
believe in and aspire for.”
Commenting on the event, Arindam
Mukherjee, Secretary, Institute of Social and
Cultural Studies (ISCS), said, “Indian Ocean
Rim Countries have strategic relevance as
well as socio cultural similarities, which
are key to fostering sustained economic
as well as trade ties in the region and
this conference has laid a foundation
by setting-up a platform for exchange
of ideas and therefore re-energize the
concept of linkage in the backdrop of
current geopolitical developments and
alignments.”
Speaking on the encouraging impact of
the conference, he stated that “ Our work
has just started, we have officially launched
Indian Ocean Resource Centre for working
extensively and on a regular basis, just to
reach the goal.”

2
March 23, 2015
PERSPECTIVE
Modernised ports important for B2B linkages
S
ince ‘Business to Business’ has become
the latest trend to promote and
strengthen trade and commerce, the
‘India and The Indian Ocean Conference’
organised a special session focused on
the B2B possibilities between the Indian
Ocean Rim countries on Sunday.
The main focus was not just on the
necessities of India to enhance its
business with other countries, but also
the challenges faced by the Indian Ocean
Rim (IOR) countries in case of developing
business strategies to promote business.
Mr. Ruv Herman Kasili, Chairman of
Bungoma County Branch, Kenya,
emphasised on the importance of the
ports. The ports play a vital role in case of
trade and overseas business. Hence, the
ports should be modernised to construct
effective B2B linkages among the IOR
countries. He said, “Ports are facing
challenges to facilitate the transport of
goods as well as people.”
Mr Kasili also mentioned about the Port of
Mombasa, which is said to be a gateway
to Africa. And he also gave a brief account
of the Port of Lagos which is under
construction, and would be a beneficial
port to create linkages.
Prof K Narayan, Professor of Economic,
Dept. of HSS, IIT Bombay discussed about
the necessity of merging academics with
business technology. On the other hand
Dr. Saikat Sinha Roy, Associate Professor,
Jadavpur University, said, “In B2B contact,
trade facilitation is important.” He also said
that, linkages among the countries under
IOR can be in terms of trade, investments
and knowledge. He encouraged IORA
to establish a Chamber of Commerce
and also the inclusion of Small Medium
Enterprises (SME’s) when it comes to
creation of B2B linkages.
Dr. Jaya Josie, Head of BRICS centre, South
Africa, talked about the importance and
usefulness of the Indian ocean in terms of
B2B connection.
Suggesting that South African
Development Community (SADC) and
India should unite to improve the blue
economy, he said, “Indian ocean is a
catalyst for renewing linkages and to
flourish blue economy.”
“India is advancing in technological
field. We want India to involve in trading
towards Africa,” he added.
“Indian Ocean can be easily trusted upon
in case of overseas business and trade,”
said Subrat Tripathy, who also spoke
about the Paradeep Port of Odisha and
the usefulness of its terminals.
The conference was held with special
reference to Odisha.

Sectoral Cooperation the new development mantra
S
cholars and dignitaries from different
spheres of academia and industry
deliberated on sectoral cooperation
between Indian Ocean Rim countries for all
round development at the ‘India and The
Indian Ocean’ international conference on
Sunday.
Former secretary of the Ministry of
External Affairs, Ambassador A.N. Ram
chaired the panel which primarily
discussed environmental concerns,
infrastructural investment and crude oil
conservation.
Former chairman of National Biodiversity
Authority Dr. Bala Pisupati stated that
environmental development of the Indian
Ocean region has multifaceted challenges,
scattered responses and small pockets of
success which make it evident that this
region still has scope
for improvement in this field. “Right now,
the emerging issues are restricted to
prospecting, changing oceanic governance
and future development options,” he
added. Speaking about the value of
marine genetic resources, he said that
the IORA should fix a future agenda of
oceanic governance. “The agenda of IORA
should include establishing ecological
and biological sensitive areas, species
management, designating marine
protected areas and enhancing subregional cooperation,” he explained.
Mr. Raveen Ekanayake, research
officer from IPS, Sri Lanka discussed
institutional mechanisms for promoting
trade and investment in knowledge
based industries in the IORA region. He
explained knowledge based economy in
his presentation and classified different
economies of the IORA region.
Relatively new topics came into the
discussion as Mr. TC James, visiting fellow
and consultant, RIS discussed about access
and uses of medicinal plants in the IORA
countries. Starting with medicinal and
cosmetic values of the plants, he moved on
to speak about the setbacks and challenges
to it. “ Unsustainable exploitation, declining
quality are the two major challenges in
this field. IORA should take the initiative to
meet the increasing demands and regulate
trade. We need a policy or strategy to move
forward,” he added.
Dr. Ranjit Rath of Engineers India Ltd
spoke about storage inventory of crude
oil and its uses. “India imports 80 per
cent of its total crude oil demand and it
depends heavily on the gulf countries for
the majority of its import,” he said. In order
to demonstrate and explain his topic with
clarity, he also explained hydrocarbon
infrastructure in India and advantages
of underground storage oil, crude oil
and classified various ways of doing so.
“Unlined rock caverns, salt caverns, in
ground cement storage are some ways we
can store oil” he stated.
Research associate of RIS, one of the
organisers, Priyadarshi Das spoke about
infrastructural investment in IORA towards
a regional institutional framework and
emphasized its importance in the region’s
economy.
Das expressed disappointment as
nobody focused on the topic of economic
cooperation. The session was also marked
by the release of the book “Maritime Trade
in Odisha” by the reception committee of
the conference. 
OFF-BEAT
3
March 23, 2015
Rohu fish and Besara, the culinary
HITs during IOR conference!
O
disha’s cuisine has been the
main topic of discussion and,
that too, after a long hectic day, says
Rahman Jahangir of Bangladesh
who was overwhelmed to express
his desire to buy an ‘Odia Recipe
Food Book ‘ to carry as a memory.
To Jahangir, Indian food is much
better than his own Bangladeshi
food. He found a variety of dishes
and cooking styles.
On the other hand a delegate of
Thailand admired Thai food saying
Indian food is too spicy because of
lots of oil and spices.
A delegate of Kenya added that
Indian food contained chilli in
almost all cuisine. Yet it had a
different charm that made it
yummy, comparing his last visit to
that of Dubai, on which he said he
would prefer Indian food more than
Dubai food.
But, to another delegate of Kenya,
Indian food was a little confusing
with combinations of ‘Saag’
(Spinach), Chicken Kofta, and typical
Odia food. “But it has a classy taste,”
she said pointing out that the
green vegetables cooked here were
healthy as well as tasty!
Followed by the delegate of
Yemen Ghamdan Al-Anshali who
emphasised that Biriyani was
the tastiest food of all, Chicken
Manchurian in Bhubaneswar was
still his favourite food! The Delegate
of France surprised us by recalling
his journey to India frequently for
twenty years and still found Indian
Cuisine refreshing to make each of
his journey a fresh experience!
An Indian delegate, Capt. Rajveer
Singh of Indian Navy, described
Odisha food as an epitome of
simplicity. Chef Gautam and his
team were accommodating the
diverse tastes of delegates coming
from various countries. He appeared
deeply convinced about the fact
and said that they were keeping
a personal note on the likes and
dislikes of various delegates.
When the chef interacted with
the delegates of Arab countries,
they impressed him with their
knowledge about fish. Among
Western, Continental and Oriental
cuisines, the delegates loved
Odisha’s food and mostly impressed
by the preparation of ‘’Rohi (Rohu)
Fish and Besara!’’ 
4
March 23, 2015
OP-ED
Looking positive for better relations
Shahriar Kabir
T
he conference seems to be very
important because till now I have
not seen anybody who has arranged
such a multi-dimensional conference
on maritime issues like trade, security,
business and many other issues under
different panels. But, the main focus
should be on the economic co-operation
within the Bay of Bengal littoral countries
as well as Indian Ocean and coastal
countries.
So far as Bay of Bengal is concerned, there
are four littoral countries such as India,
Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
Most of these countries are participating
in this conference. My concern is about
the security. We generally discuss security
threats coming from the land or air, but
maritime security is not discussed often.
And Bangladesh is the worst sufferer
of maritime threat because what we
witnessed in 2004 was alarming. Our
marine police and coast guards seized
10 trucks, fully loaded with arms and
ammunitions. It was being smuggled to
Bangladesh.
From 2001 to 2006, Bangladesh was under
the rule of BNP and Jamaat coalition
and it witnessed mushrooming growth
in Islamic militant activities during that
period. India also experienced a rise in
Islamic militant activities then. We saw
the Mumbai attack in 2008 where the
militants came through sea route from
Karachi to Mumbai.
Myanmar is also a victim of Islamic
militant activities. So, there is the need
of cooperation between these three
countries, all on the edge of Bay of Bengal
and also share land borders, because
they are under the direct threat of Islamic
militants. We have seen Al-Qaeda chief
Al Zawahiri giving a statement and also
the ISIS focusing on South Asia. They are
targeting this region because of the huge
Muslim population here. So, this region is
more vulnerable compared to the Middle
East, which has its own problems and
conflicts but is more favourable for the
militants.
In Bangladesh, now we have a separate
democratic government led by Sheikh
Haseena. She is determined to stop these
types of militancy and she has expressed
zero tolerance towards terrorism and
such camps. I think it is favourable for
Bangladesh and India to act on this
particular problem jointly since we have
many common elements like history and
geography. India shares its largest border
with Bangladesh. But this is a very porous
border and cross border terrorism is
prevalent.
So, our land borders are very much under
risk, and our maritime border is also very
vulnerable. What we are campaigning is
that no government can fight terrorism
alone. There is a need for regional
cooperation among the governments as
well as the civil society.
The extremists killed a prolific writer
Abhijeet Roy last month. He was a US
citizen who came to settle down in
Bangladesh.
All the secular intellectuals are the targets
of extremists. This kind of terrorism is very
difficult to combat for any government
alone. So we need cooperation and
understanding between the three
affected countries of the region and, also,
between the government and the civil
society.
The importance of this conference is that
they have invited representatives from
both the government and the civil society.
This kind of conference will develop
mutual understanding between the
countries and help us set up guidelines
on how the government and civil society
should act in the coming years. It will help
the civil societies of different countries to
know each other.
Again, I don’t think, everything should
end here. There should be a follow-up of
the conference and let us have another
one in Dhaka or Yangon next year. It is
a wonderful beginning but it should be
continued for better understanding.
I am looking at this in a very positive way
and it will help develop better relations
between the government and the society.
Shahriar Kabir, writer and journalist from
Bangladesh. He has written around 80 books and
has attended around 100 international
press conferences

DAILY ROUND UP
5
March 23, 2015
Blue Economy: challenges ahead
E
xtensive deliberations on ‘blue
economy’ was organised on Sunday
identifying major challenges in
exploring the Indian Ocean and listing a
series of action plans for littoral nations
in the Indian Ocean region and beyond.
Despite the fact that oceans cover
over 70 percent of the Earth, we don’t
consider ocean as important centre for
economic development, said Shahidul
Haque, Foreign Secretary, Bangladesh.
“Blue economy must be inclusive
and people-centric. We have to
move together to secure sustainable
development among the coastal or
littoral states. Developing the blue
economy in this region will help
strengthen the IORA nation’s ability in
safeguarding its borders, resources and
people,” said Haque.
The speakers gathered for the
conference called upon to brainstorm
on issues pertinent to blue economy
and tried to forge partnerships to
explore areas where collective efforts
can address challenges constraining
the development in areas of economic
growth and human well-being.
Delving on the relatively new concept,
Anjan Datta, adviser ICCCAD and CEGIS,
Dhaka, defined Blue Economy as smart,
sustainable and inclusive economic and
employment growth stimulator based
on the oceans, sea water and coasts.
Datta said, ocean should be considered
as ‘development space.’ However, it is
perceived as dumping ground.
“Oceans are 72 per cent surface of our
blue planet and constitute more than
95 per cent of biosphere. We should not
forget that life originated in the ocean.
A worldwide transition to a low-carbon,
resource-efficient green economy will
not be possible unless the seas and
oceans are a key part of transformations,”
Datta cautioned.
According to Datta, 30 million people
directly depend on oceanic activities like
fisheries and commercial transportation
for their livelihood. The marine ecology
provides marine-based renewable
energies and myriad services ranging
from food, agriculture, security and
climate regulation to nutrient cycling
and storm protection.
Blue economy, he explained, provides
opportunities for many disciplines of
science and social science to work in
harmoniously providing innovative
solutions which contribute to a better
quality life to people within the
ecological limit and threshold.
Dr Alex Benkenstein, Program Manager
of South African Institute of International
Affairs (SAIIA), discussed about Ocean
Resources Management in IORA region.
“Maritime security is an important
consideration in the future growth of
IORA’s blue economy. Ocean governance
issues are being increasingly prioritised.
The Global Ocean Commission and
the Global Partnership for Oceans are
just two of the initiatives established in
recent years, which seek to find solutions
to issues such as over-fishing, loss of
habitat as well as biodiversity, pollution,
and the development of an effective
governance regime for sea-bed mining.”
Speaking about fisheries crime, Dr
Mary Ann Palma-Robles from University
of Wollongong, Australia, said, “It is
a major and increasingly significant
threat not only to the security of the
maritime environment but also to the
sustainability of marine living resources.”
A study conducted by the United
Nations Office of Drugs and Crime
(UNODC) on transnational criminal
activities in the fishing industry
highlighted that fishers trafficked for
the purpose of forced labour on-board
fishing vessels are severely abused. Child
trafficking is frequent in fishing industry.
According to Palma-Robles,
transnational organized criminal
groups are engaged in crimes relating
to plunder of live marine resource
such as abalone. Also, fishing licensing
and control system is vulnerable to
corruption. Fishing vessels are used for
the purpose of smuggling of migrants,
illicit traffic in drugs (primarily cocaine),
illicit traffic in weapons, and acts of
terrorism.
She also mentioned that fishers
were often recruited by organized
criminal groups due to their skills and
knowledge of the sea and were seldom
the masterminds behind organized
criminal activities involving the fishing
industry or fishing vessels. PalmaRobles emphasised to apply fisheries
management principle and eco system
approach to the fisheries.
Professor R Ramesh, the Chair of LOICZ
SC and Director of National Centre for
Sustainable Coastal Management under
Anna University and Rahman Jahangir,
Editorial Consultant of the Financial
Express, Dhaka, also talked about
potential, opportunities and challenges
of Blue Economy in the Indian Ocean
region.

6
March 23, 2015
KALEIDOSCOPE
CULTURE
The Indian Ocean civilisation a timely publication
A
s the brain behind the conference and
the principal host of this global event,
India and the Indian Ocean, Arindam
Mukherjee must have worked very hard
round the clock for more than a year,
literally. Yet, as one browses through the
pages of his beautifully produced book
‘The Indian Ocean Civilisation,’ which
was released by External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj during the inaugural
ceremony of the conference, one only
realises how gripping the book is to fit for
the occasion.
The elegantly designed book has been
published by the Institute of Social and
Cultural Studies. A Master’s in ancient
Indian history and culture from Calcutta
University, he has published six books
so far besides making two documentary
films and holding a number of exhibition
of photographs on his area of study and
research. The book is the proof of his
labour of love.
As a student of ancient history and as an
avid photographer, the author has taken
enough initiative to study and document
several aspects of the maritime trade
and civilisational linkages in the Indian
Ocean region. The exhibition of panels
and photographs - Indian Ocean : The
seafaring legacy - that he curated and
mounted during the conference drew
much appreciation from large number of
visitors.
“While planning my exhibition, I was also
contemplating this book. I was aware of
the fact that the exhibition would only be
accessible to the delegates and the visitors
of the conference. Hence, I thought of a
book showcasing the photographs and
articles displayed in the exhibition to reach
out to an wider circulation, readership and
viewership,” explained the author.
A photograph speaks a thousand words,
they say. And the beautifully jacketed
coffee table book containing 94 pages
with 40 chapters carries a large number
of photographs that vividly tell the tale
of thousands of years of maritime history,
trade and cultural canvas of the Indian
Ocean region.
Right from the first page, the writer takes
the readers on an interesting voyage
across the geography and history of this
vast Indian Ocean - the only ocean to
be named after a country. A number of
lesser-known facts come to the fore in the
7
March 23, 2015
journey through the pages.
Beginning with a chapter on the Indian
Ocean, the journey goes through
description of the physical geography
of the ocean, the effect of monsoon on
Indian ocean trade, maritime trade in preHarappan period and seafaring in ancient
India depicted in textual references.
Further, there are interesting chapters on
Peninsular India and the variety of boat
forms and traditional celestial navigation
practices in the Indian ocean.
The book also contains individual chapters
dealing with India’s cultural links with
countries like Thailand, Laos, Vietnam,
Indonesia and other countries in the
region. The references of the books and
websites mentioned in the end add further
value for the scholars and researchers. 
Economic integration need of the hour: experts
T
he need of the hour is economic
integration rather than economic
cooperation in the Indian Ocean Rim
Association (IORA) regions. The session
on ‘Regional Economic Cooperation in
Trade and Investment in IORA’ dealt with
this blazing issue.
The Liberalisation, Privatisation and
Globalisation(LPG) policies which were
followed earlier has come to the next
level and it is taking place in different
segments for economic upgradation.
“The liberalisation has got great trade
potential,” said Prof S K Mohanty,
Professor, Research and Information
System for Developing Countries (RIS).
The open liberalisation has been the
operational framework which has
boosted the economic development.
The focus has been to catch hold of trade
enhancement and attracting investment.
The IORA region has triggered formal
as well as informal networking which
is forming the base for economic
expansion. “For building up economic
integration,
binding
commitment
and get more priority rather than the
non-binding commitment among the
regions, “ said Dr. Saman Kelegnna,
Executive Director, Institute of Policy
Studies.
The problem which hinders the goal to
be achieved is the free rider problem and
it demands proper attention in this area.
The issues of tariff and non-tariff barriers
(NTB’s) are also the increasing concerns
and for this scientific cooperation in the
IORA region must be sought. National
Research development Cooperation
(NRDC) is incessantly working in this
sphere.
By delving into the issues of economic
and trade development, the subject
of sustainable development cannot
be ignored and both of them must go
hand in hand. The shift in the renewable
energy from non renewable energy
will make the pathway for sustainable
development as it will not get depleted
in the long run. “Transition from fossil
fuels to renewable energy should take
place,” told Prof V. N. Attri, Ocean Chair
Professor, IORA.
All round development is needed in
the sphere of economic expansion and
the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
should also be helped by the developed
countries to promote economy on the
global forefront.

8
FOCUS
March 23, 2015
Home-bound with fond memories
Maryam Jalali, Iran (Ph.D scholar in
Psychology at the Osmania University,
Hyderabad)
Though I stay currently in the Indian city of
Hyderabad for my doctoral research, I never
had this unique opportunity to witness
so many styles of Indian dances coming
together on a single platform. I thank the
hosts of the conference for choosing such
a nice heritage site and such a thoughtful
production of dance and music. It was
indeed a special treat for us.
Le Lein Thi, Institute of Archaeology,
Vietnam
Though I have been to India several
times for my study and research, this
trip to the conference made a pleasant
introduction to me on India’s classical
dance and music. The dance event that
we witnessed at the Udayagiri hills on
Saturday evening was very interesting.
I loved witnessing the dance but what
captivated me more was its music.
Professor Chotima Chaturawong,
Faculty of Architecture, Silpakorn
University,
Bangkok, Thailand
I witnessed all the four dance
presentations made during the
conference - Burmese and Indian. To
me, the most touching presentation was
the Odissi piece on motherland (Vande
Mataram). I was enlightened to know that
a great Indian writer has composed the
song for this dance number and this is
dear to the hearts of millions of Indians.
Rev. Herman Kasili & Maurine
Abungu, Kenya
Rarely do we come across Indian
dance and music in African region. So,
we thoroughly enjoyed the cultural
evenings presented for us during the
conference. We were delighted a lot to
know about so many Indian classical
dance and music traditions. There was
also one martial dance tradition that
we enjoyed a lot.
Radhika Sesgan, Associate Professor of
Histroy, University of Pune, India
Being an Indian, I have been watching Indian
classical dance production since decades. In fact,
my daughter is a Bharatanatyam dancer and I
love dance a lot. But, what would always remain
etched in my memory was the Saptavarna
dance production that I witnessed on Saturday
at the Udayagiri Ranigumpha. The concept and
choreography was brilliant. It celebrated the
beauty and unity in the diversity of our culture.
The percussion instruments played in the
production were captivating.
Rakoton Irina Olwia, National Focal
Point, IORA, Madagascar
I and my friend from my country loved
everything that were shown in the dance
programme at the ancient caves near the
city. The dance, the music, the drums, the
colourful costumes, the backdrop of the
hill - everything was captivating to us. I
liked most the dancers who were from
South India (Bharatanatyam).
Potpourri
Engaging
Sessions
Gifting
Memoires
Odia
Hospitality
Blessed
Moment
Captivating
History
Some...
Times
Amicable
Volunteers
All
Smiles
Transcending
Cultures
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IndiaAndTheIndianOcean
@IndianOceanConf
India and The Indian Ocean