 The sea has always been the lifeline for India, surrounded by the soothing blues from three sides. The world's largest peninsula nation houses a huge wealth of maritime culture handed down by generations. And this has been true since the beginning of civilization. But sadly insofar as India's maritime heritage is concerned, our ancestors left little to no written records of even the chronology of our rich maritime past. Expertise and navigation meant increased efficiency in overseas trade. The first trade was with the Sumerians, the Egyptians and with Crete and later it extended itself beyond the Roman Empire into Europe and Africa. Incense, spices, textiles and precious stones reached the Arab and Egyptian ports and from there on travelled deep inside European empires. Our systems of faith became our first global cultural ambassadors. Ashoka, one of the most illustrious emperors from India's early history, a keen follower of Buddhism, he wanted to share Buddha's message of peace across the planet. Ashoka ended up becoming one of the biggest global emissaries of Buddhism, which at that time was largely confined to India. Some glimpses of this ancient past can still be spotted in dominantly maritime societies scattered among the coastal communities of India. They are the modern-day upholders of Indian expertise in cost-effective but top-quality shipbuilding, a skill set that has been recognised worldwide. When it comes to warship building, the story was almost the same as for merchant shipbuilding because we missed out on the industrial revolution. Our ancestors had determined to make the Indian navy a builder's navy rather than a buyer's navy. India's expertise in warship building also extends to submarines, one of the most critical determining factors of modern naval warfare. Our technological acumen in the area is comparable to the best in the world, but this was not always the case. This idea of navy as we know it today didn't exist till the coming of the Europeans. In the folk laws of Kerala, the first European colonists are often referred to as the Portuguese pirates. They posed a threat to India's trading groups. Local sea commanders of Kerala, particularly four generations of Murakars, were naval experts who specialised in stealth attacks. They fought the Portuguese and resisted their advance. In 18th century India, Kannuji Angre, a Maratha fleet admiral of repute, acquired an almost mythical status as a Maratha navy chief. He was labelled a pirate by his European enemies because he fought against British, Dutch and Portuguese naval interests. Angre remained undefeated till his death. The Europeans ultimately won over, thereby starting four centuries of authority-based control of the seas. One could make a case that it was an inadequate appreciation of sea power that led to the colonisation of India. And there is also I think an interesting technological dimension which is that India had demonstrated the highest levels of shipbuilding acumen at that time. Indian ships were considered to be the best in the world because of the craftsmanship and the fact that they could out sail any of the European ships that were being built at that time. The Bombay Dry dock, the first modern dry dock in Asia, was built by Lovji and his brother Surabji in 1750. Lothal in present day Gujarat was probably the world's first tidal dock, at least the first that we know of. The remains of the dock reveal that the Harappans were well aware of the principles of hydrology. The shipbuilding and repair yards in Mumbai are carrying forward a tradition of excellence that started ages back with the shipbuilders from Surat. All of this trade happens under the watchful eyes of our competent and confident navy. It not only remains defensive, it also ensures that it always creates and maintains bridges of friendship across the seas. We have created the largest number of friends across the seas on all continents through the sea route. For centuries we have reached out to the world with a message of peace and freedom and the world has come to us with the same expectations. The Indian way forward has always been to develop a spirit of partnership and collaboration. We still move ahead with the same purpose, riding the waves of mutual progress to become the true wave riders in time.