UGC Centre for Maritime Studies and
Electronic Journal of Social and Strategic Studies jointly hosted a webinar on
24 September 2020 to commemorate 43rd World Maritime Day. The theme for the
webinar was:
India, IOR and Indo-Pacific:
Perspectives, Challenges and Opportunities
Prof Gurmeet Singh, Vice Chancellor,
Pondicherry University chaired and delivered Presidential Address. Former
Ambassador Rajiv Bhatia and Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Arun Prakash PVSM,
AVSM, VrC, VSM, ADC, delivered the Special and Commemorative Address. Prof P
Moorthy, Dean School of Social Sciences & IR, delivered the Felicitation
Address.
The webinar was held in two sessions.
Session 1 covered India & IOR. Prof
SK Mohanty (RIS), Prof PV Rao (Prof Emeritus, NALSAR), and Cmde Srikant Kesnur
(Director, MWC Mumbai) delivered talks on India's Economic Interest in IOR,
India's Maritime Power and The Wide Arc of Indian Maritime Diplomacy,
respectively.
Session 2 covered India & Indo-Pacific.
Prof Sanjay Chaturvedi (South Asian University), Cmde RS Vasan (Retd) (Chennai
Centre for China Studies), Capt SS Parmar (Executive Director, National
Maritime Foundation) and Prof PR Pradhan (BITS Pilani-Goa) delivered talks on
Geopolitics of Shifting Alliances in the Indo-Pacific: Perspectives from and on
India, Changing Dynamics of Power Play in Indo-Pacific Post Covid, India in
Indo-Pacific: Exploring Engagement Matrices and Island Chains & the Great
Game of Maritime Infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific.
Lt Gen AS Lamba PVSM, AVSM, PhD, former
Vice Chief of Army Staff and current President of IPCS Delhi, delivered the
Valedictory Address.
Vice Adm Ganesh (Retd) of Asian Centre
Bangalore, also shared his perspectives in the end.
Prof A Subramanyam Raju, Coordinator,
UGC Centre for Maritime Studies, Pondicherry University delivered the
Convener's and Concluding Address.
Dr R Srinivasan, Managing Editor,
Electronic Journal of Social and Strategic Studies moderated the sessions and
delivered Note of Thanks.
The webinar witnessed 138 registrations
from India, Bangladesh, US Embassy, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Eminent scholars,
professors and practitioners, along with members of leading Think Tanks
attended both the sessions. Student scholars from various institutions also
partook.
