The Indian Navy has become a bright spot in the normally choppy waters of the Red Sea by conducting back-to-back rescue operations in the last month. The conflict between Israel and Hamas has not only caused chaos in the Middle East but is now affecting South Asia and the larger Indian Ocean region.
The ongoing attacks on cargo ships by the Houthis, who are located in Yemen, have made the security situation in the Red Sea worse. To make matters worse, Somali pirates are now also targeting ships that travel through this area. The Indian Navy is currently recognized as the region’s primary source of net security because to the worsening security conditions in the Arabian and Red Seas. The Indian Navy has always performed its duties admirably, and it has always taken the lead in charitable endeavors like disaster relief and humanitarian assistance (HADR) activities.
But as the security of the Indian Ocean region is threatened by the fallout from the Middle East conflict, India is reclaiming its role as the resident power and the main player in the region’s security framework.
India’s rescue efforts, and the Indian Navy’s contribution in particular, go beyond simply aligning with the current international order. The Indian Navy’s participation may have become more prominent due to current security concerns. However, India’s naval activities also have a strong undercurrent of civilization. One could examine this undertone via the lenses of decolonization and indigenization.
For a very long time, the decolonization narrative has been a central concern in Indian politics. Nonetheless, there has been a noticeable and rapid push in recent months for decolonization and indigenization in a variety of fields.
The adoption of the name Bharat in place of India is one of the key moves in this approach. The name Bharat was written on a poster in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during India’s hosting of the G20 Summit in September 2023. This was the centerpiece of the event. The Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act from the colonial era are also intended to be replaced by three criminal justice legislation that the Indian parliament recently passed: the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, the Bharatiya Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Act.
One of the most notable moves towards decolonization is said to have been the recent consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Furthermore, the decolonization story now encompasses a wider range of topics. For many years, the Indian people’s common memory limited the colonial era to the 200 years of British rule in India. The last 200 years are now being replaced by a roughly 1,000-year span that encompasses the Islamic conquests of India.
The process of indigenization, which is already evident in the areas of politics, law, and culture, is progressively becoming more prominent in the area of security. The same idea was long present in Indian strategic thinking, just as the decolonization discussion had been limited to British control.
The continental mentality had long been accepted in Indian strategic theory as one of the legacies of British rule. The British were playing the Great Game with Russia, and as a result, the continental thinking seeped into India’s security perspective. In order to halt Russia’s advances against India, the British were forced to concentrate more on the territorial side of security.
This involved courting nations and areas in the Northeast and Northwest, including Afghanistan, Tibet, China, and the Central Asian Khanates (as they were known at the time).
After India gained independence, Pakistan and China continued to pose security threats, which solidified this way of thinking. The outcome was that India’s longstanding status as a significant maritime nation was largely ignored.
Nonetheless, the marine domain has been reclaiming its significance in India’s strategic circles over the last ten or so years. India has shifted its attention to fortifying its naval forces in response to China’s aggressive actions in its immediate and wider vicinity and the rise of the geostrategic idea of the Indo-Pacific Region.
Decoupling the Indian Navy from its British heritage and returning it to its indigenous origins has essentially coincided with the increased attention paid to the Indian Navy. The government has invoked Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who is regarded as the Father of the Indian Navy, in order to accomplish this.
Shivaji understood the value of having a navy and access to the sea despite inheriting a landlocked province. He declared, “He who owns the Navy owns the Sea,” in his strategic vision. Shivaji anticipated that the Navy would be necessary to safeguard maritime trade in addition to defending his realm. Shivaji successfully constructed sea forts to guard the beaches that ran through the Konkan during the height of his power. Beginning with around 18–20 ships, Shivaji amassed a fleet of more than 500 ships.
India is now associating itself with Shivaji and shedding the British heritage in an effort to decolonize and indigenousize its naval strategic philosophy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the Indian Navy’s new ensign in September 2022. It removed St. George’s Cross from the colonial era and was inspired by Shivaji.
The Indian Navy conducted an operational demonstration (Op Demo) at Tarkali Beach on the West Coast on December 4, 2023, in honor of Navy Day, against the backdrop of Shivaji’s Sindhudurg Fort.
The government has also recently suggested adding India’s Maratha Military Landscapes to the UNESCO World Heritage List for the years 2024–2025. There are twelve forts in this list, eleven of which are in Maharashtra and one in Tamil Nadu. It is important to remember that four of these twelve forts are sea forts located in Maharashtra along the Konkan coast. These forts are Sindhudurg, Vijaydurg, Suvarnadurg, and Khanderi. Shivaji built these four forts to serve as his state’s naval bases. During Shivaji’s reign, Maratha rule was consolidated to a great extent thanks in large part to the Navy.
While taking operational cues from a historical person such as Shivaji, it is equally necessary to keep bolstering and modernizing the fleet in order to meet modern difficulties. India is also following Shivaji in this regard, progressively moving toward Atmanirbharta, or independence, in the defense industry. In order to do this, the Indian Navy recently unveiled the “Swavlamban 2.0” manifesto, which aims to strengthen ties between the Navy and business and inspire all business segments to take part in the local development of all naval equipment. Even if the strategy for indigenization is a good start, funding support is needed.
The Indian Navy has been given a budget of Rs23,800 crore for the naval fleet and Rs6,830 crore for naval dockyard projects in the 2024–2025 defense budget. With this allotment, the Indian Navy intends to purchase next-generation survey vessels, submarines, and fighter planes that are mounted on deck.
The Indian Navy’s significance to global security has been brought to light by the Red Sea situation. Shivaji’s legacy along with the modern global order should further encourage India to claim its rightful place as the world’s foremost maritime nation.
