Newsletter-Editors Desk

As the monsoons arrive and the waters get choppy, the sailors wrap their sails and get involved in maintenance activities. We at MHS set the monsoon months to promote maritime knowledge by hosting monsoon series lectures, renamed this season to “Monsoon Musings”. The first musing was on 02 July on Navigation methods of Ancient Mariners.

The opening months of the financial year emerged as key to a new wave of evolution of MHS. We have crossed many wavepoints that were planned and plotted a while ago. These past months saw crisis beget opportunity, to spread, to replinish the MHS outreach to an even larger scale. Many Conceptual ideas turned to reality. These included launching MHS Youtube channel and the website going live.

Vision statements across few years and more looked to Year 2020 as an epoch and how has it surprised us through a Wuhan origin virus! Amidst the constraints of consequent lockdown and social distancing, the MHS premises went into a shutdown at first and subsequently to extremely limited sustenance roles. As crisis begat opportunity, Team MHS went digital and launched a dynamic outreach and online interface.

The Seminar helped in enhancing the Maritime Consciousness among the school and college students including NCC cadets. The presence of a diverse audience for the Seminar highlighted the presence of a multidimensional Maritime Culture and Traditions in India. They interacted well and questioned the scholars about contemporary challenges which play a role in creating awareness and safeguarding India’s maritime legacy.

A great and encouraging take away was the keen interest in young and old alike to study more about Indian Maritime Heritage. MHS is confident of a wide support base in its endeavours.

This year adding to our work force are a spritey young group of Research Associates. Their presence has added wind to our sails while at the same time raising expectations from our members and benefactors. Lectures By Cdr Abhilash Tomy K.C and Prof Himanshu Prabha Ray helped the incomers to get abriefed of the various modalities of the maritime world.

Despite having a modest gallery we are witnessing an increase in the footfall of enthusiastic visitors to the museum. This year a lively posse of young B.A students from the Khalsa College called upon the museum for a guided tour. Increasingly we are receiving requests from various institutes to indulge them a tour of the gallery.

True sign of favour and contentment is when academic schedule gets hectic. The year 2019 at Maritime History Society has been witnessing that kind of good favours. In yesteryears the period post annual seminar was a lean patch. First few months of the year have been a period of abundance on the work front.