India's southern sea fronts : the way forward ; 12 Jan 2024

INDIA’S SOUTHERN SEA FRONTS : THE WAY FORWARD

 

1^st section

All that India has spent on the Maldives

Since 1965 hath been a waste.

The ingredients, the signs were always there :

It was a mistake to have expect’d otherwise.

 

2^nd

Massive amounts have been wast’d,

Squander’d, pointlessly dish’d out.

The Chinese have better sense :

They have got their acts correctly :

They be clear-mind’d.

3^rd

They do spend a lot on foreign countries,

But, they do know a lost cause

When they see one…

4^th

Saudi Arabia and the UAE

Be moving in.

‘Tis not a coincidence :

‘Twas to be expect’d :

Just as the response

From the Maldives to these moves…

5^th

 

In the archipelago,

Just on one bridge connecting three islands,

India spent more than 41 billion rupees :

An utter waste, whichever way one looks at it…

Many more billions wast’d mindlessly

On other projects.

 

6^th

Will there be a change ?...

Will commonsense prevail at last ?...

How many more billions need to be lost

Before one accepts the inevitable ?...

 

*****

7^th

The Chinese are smarter,

They see farther ahead,

They keep both feet on the ground,

They don’t fight lost causes,

They have got their strategies right.

8^th

They build artificial islands,

They turn reefs into islands,

They understand force projection,

They lay down the groundwork

For military and strategic successes

In future maritime confrontations…

 

*****

9^th

India should learn from these down-to-earth

Strategies, tactics and postures.

Anything she spends on the Maldives

Be an utter waste.

10^th

India should think out of the box,

Should go for innovative moves,

Should pre-empt moves of adversaries.

11^th

An Indian island should be identified

For force projection

And military installations

For decisive responses in future conflicts

Across the southern seas.

12^th

The whole island population

Needs to be relocat’d to another island,

With resettlement in a new, free housing estate.

13^th

The vacat’d island needs to be turn’d

Into a military bastion,

Augment’d physically, Chinese-style,

With jetties and piers set up.

There should be facilities

For ship and submarine resupplies,

Radar installations,

Communications infrastructure,

Communications intercept stations,

Logistics for space assets,

Missile batteries :

Hardware for forward military responses.

 

*****  

14^th

Let the Maldives go the way they wish :

They are history :

It’s a question of time

Before they be submerg’d :

All that is spent there will be lost…

15^th

For India, pragmatism should rule;

India should move fast right now

And finally get her acts together,

As requir’d by commonsense…

16^th and last

Let other actors move into the void :

India will have the means to respond

Rapidly, decisively…

Indian money and resources

Need to be better spent :

Indian military strategies

On the southern fronts

Need to be ground’d

In commonsense… 

--------------------

Soman Ragavan

Mauritius (Indian Ocean)

12 January, 2024

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