Why the Sea Matters: Rethinking India’s Maritime Destiny Through History and Strategy

India’s civilisational story has been shaped as much by water as by land. While the Himalayas defined its northern frontiers and filtered waves of invasions, the Indian Ocean opened pathways for trade, ideas, faith, and influence. A new scholarly volume, “The Routledge Handbook of Maritime India”, edited by “Alluri Subramanyam Raju” and “R. Srinivasan”, revisits this maritime inheritance and asks a timely question: what does the maritime domain mean for India today — historically, strategically, economically, and technologically?

The ocean as a civilisational force, not a frontier

The opening sections of the handbook remind readers that India’s maritime engagement is not a modern construct. Long before European powers dominated the seas, Indian sailors traversed the western Indian Ocean and the eastern seas of Southeast Asia. From Indo-Arab trade networks to cultural exchanges with Southeast Asia, the sea enabled India’s outward orientation.

This historical reality was succinctly captured by “Jawaharlal Nehru”, who warned that control of the Indian Ocean directly affects India’s trade and independence. Essays in the volume trace this legacy through the Cholas’ naval expeditions, Maratha maritime power, and European entry into the Indian Ocean, underlining that India’s past maritime prowess offers both pride and strategic lessons.

Ideas that shaped India’s maritime worldview

Beyond chronology, the handbook engages with maritime thought. One chapter revisits the ideas of scholar-diplomat K.M. Panikkar, whose writings laid the intellectual foundations of India’s oceanic consciousness. His belief that India’s security is inseparable from the Indian Ocean continues to resonate amid present-day strategic competition.

Another contribution urges a conceptual shift: viewing the Indian Ocean not merely as a transit space but as a lived “place”, home to dense populations and complex political economies. This perspective challenges traditional, naval-centric thinking and broadens maritime strategy to include human security, governance, and sustainability.

Strategy, neighbours, and uneasy rivalries at sea

A substantial portion of the book examines India’s maritime relations with key regional and extra-regional actors — from Australia and Japan to France, Sri Lanka, and China. It highlights India’s largely successful effort to demarcate maritime boundaries with its neighbours, with Pakistan remaining the sole unresolved case.

The Sino-Indian maritime relationship receives particular attention. Essays analysing Chinese and Indian strategic thinking caution against a zero-sum approach in the Indian Ocean and recommend structured dialogue to prevent clashes of interest. Similar analytical depth is applied to India’s evolving ties with Australia and Japan, and to Indo-Pacific cooperation with France, reflecting the growing importance of maritime multilateralism.

Governance, connectivity, and the China factor

The handbook also turns inward, assessing maritime governance in South Asia. Comparative studies of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and China reveal how institutional capacity, political leadership, and transparency shape maritime outcomes.

Sri Lanka’s experience, in particular, is presented as a cautionary tale. Weak governance and political fragmentation, contributors argue, have pushed Colombo deeper into China’s Belt and Road Initiative, with long-term implications for sovereignty and maritime autonomy. These chapters underscore that maritime strength is not only about ships and ports, but also about institutions and policy choices.

From coastal defence to power projection

India’s maritime evolution in recent decades is another key theme. The Indian Navy’s anti-piracy operations in the Arabian Sea during the early 2000s are cited as a turning point, marking India’s emergence as a net security provider rather than a passive observer.

Other essays debate how India should navigate intensifying great-power rivalry at sea. Some advocate a hedging strategy that accommodates U.S. Indo-Pacific priorities, while others argue for expanding India’s maritime presence to build political and economic convergence among like-minded states. The broader Indo-Pacific concept, though central to recent strategic discourse, is also reassessed in light of shifting global crises and changing U.S. priorities.

The Blue Economy and the technology frontier

The final cluster of chapters looks ahead, focusing on economics and technology. Topics range from underwater domain awareness and maritime security to climate resilience and coastal protection. The Blue Economy — encompassing sustainable fisheries, offshore energy, seabed resources, and maritime infrastructure — emerges as a unifying theme.

These essays emphasise that India’s maritime future will be shaped as much by innovation and environmental stewardship as by geopolitics. For policymakers, the volume offers not prescriptions, but a rich menu of insights grounded in the latest research.

Why this handbook matters now

Taken together, “The Routledge Handbook of Maritime India” makes a compelling case that the sea is not peripheral to India’s destiny — it is central to it. At a time when attention is often diverted by continental crises and land-based threats, the book serves as a reminder that India’s strategic autonomy, economic growth, and global influence are deeply tied to the maritime domain.

For scholars, practitioners, and policymakers alike, its recommendations deserve close and sustained engagement.