Eastward Ho!

India’s eastern seaboard is getting new focus and prominence

- BY SANJIB KR BARUAH/Kolkata

Amid the growing US-China rivalry and a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, the Indo-Pacific is becoming a new geostrategic arena.

This has led to a growing presence and heightened activity of naval vessels and submarines in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. It has also enhanced the strategic prominence of India’s east coast, which lies close to the deep waters where the world’s major navies increasingly conduct exercises and manoeuvres.

Yet, much like the “silent service” it is known to be, the Indian Navy’s own strategic shift has been subtle. If the eight decades since 1947 were about India’s western focus, the Navy is now, in what may prove to be a transformative moment, looking east.

For decades, India’s naval gaze was fixed on the Arabian Sea: West Asia, Europe and the Gulf oil lanes. It made sense. That was where the threats were, and trade interests too.

But stand at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata, feel the Hooghly breeze and watch the grey hulls move into the Bay of Bengal, and the eastward shift becomes visible. India's growing Indo-Pacific focus is also opening new opportunities in exports and international maritime partnerships.