Page 9 - K M PANNIKAR and The Growth of a Maritime Consciousness in India

The period from the 1950s to the late 1980s was one in which continental
concerns in Indian foreign policy predominated alongside a relative neglect
of maritime perspectives. Panikkar’s works sank into semi obscurity. This
changed gradually with the end of the cold war and India’s turn to the East.
Contemporary and historical perspectives on maritime activity in the Indo-
Pacific region now point both to India’s centrality to the region and the region’s
importance for India.
To explore these ideas further, the Indian Council of World Affairs is organising
an International Conference titled “K.M. Panikkar and the Growth of a Maritime
Consciousness in India”. The conference aims to bring together both foreign
and Indian experts and scholars to deliberate on issues including on Panikkar’s
life and works, the evolution of maritime consciousness in India, the phases
of Atlantic and Pacific power dominance and the relevance of Panikkar’s ideas
in the context of the Indo-Pacific construct. The objective of the Conference
is to facilitate a better understanding of India’s maritime past, the emerging
geopolitical scenarios in the Indian Ocean region and its implications for India.
The main themes for discussion of the Conference are:
Theme I: KM Panikkar: Life and Works
Theme II: KM Panikkar and Maritime India
Theme III: The Epoch of Atlantic Power Dominance in the Indian Ocean:
15th-19th Century
Theme IV: Rise of the Pacific: Geopolitical Contestations in the Indian
Ocean: 20th-21st Century
Panel Discussion on ‘KM Panikkar and the Growth of a Maritime
Consciousness in India’

23-24 March 2021 | Sapru House, New Delhi 9