MUSEUMS AND NAVAL HERITAGE

Ship museums are important not just for preservation of naval history, but also for education of the general public

- BISWAJIT DASGUPTA

Building a maritime tradition requires a comprehensive understanding of matters maritime. It requires knowledge and skill in fields such as seafaring, sailing, ocean economics, navies, fishing industry, offshore development, maritime crime, maritime law, maritime security and several other aspects that constitute maritime education. These disciplines are rarely introduced or taught in any Indian school or university and hence the overall awareness of the maritime domain and activities connected with the seas is limited to those who actually venture into them as a profession.

“One picture is worth a thousand words,” goes the adage. An authentic experience is worth more than a thousand pictures. Since not everyone can have the unique experience of working and living on the oceans, how does the general public get to know about the seas around us and everything that happens on its surface, the skies above it and the depth of the oceans below? Movies and documentaries are useful sources of knowledge, if well made. Some of the most fascinating movies have been made about naval battles and adventures, but they are short-duration productions covering just one incident or adventure rather than an exposure of the bigger maritime picture.