Project Mausam : Mind Map for UPSC Exam

Study Material for IAS Prelims: GS Paper -1 + CSAT Paper-2

Project ‘Mausam’ is a Ministry of Culture project with Archaeological Society of India as the nodal agency
Mausam in literal sense refers to a season where it becomes safer to sail in the sea.
Indian ocean has seasonal wind pattern which follows a particular direction in between May and September and different direction between October and April.
The project is considered the new government’s most significant foreign policy initiative designed to counter China.
It is inspired by India’s historical role as the focal point for trade in the Indian Ocean.
In premodern Times sailors used seasonal winds to sail across the sea.
This trip usually involved starting from one of the edges of the ocean and then sailing to India, stopping in India and allowing the crew to wait for seasonal wind to reverse its direction and finally start the sail back to original place.

At the macro level, it aims to reconnect and reestablish communications between countries of the Indian Ocean world.
while at the micro level, the focus is on understanding national cultures in their regional maritime milieu.
The central theme of project Mausam is those routes which linked the different parts of Indian Ocean.
These routes will help in developing a shared knowledge systems and knowledge which will spread along these routes will impact coastal centers.

Project ‘Mausam’ is an project which has benefits in multiple dimensions for the member states, it also restarts the lost ties and routes between Indian ocean states.
This project will help in forgeing new avenues of cooperation and exchange of knowledge.
The project will enable a significant step in recording and celebrating this important phase of world history from the African, Arab and Asianworld perspectives.
The project purpose is to develop the Indian Ocean world which will expand between East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka to the Southeast Asian archipelago.
Some believe it as an effective counter to the chinese maritime silk route.

Both of these projects are good initiatives for the development of the Indian ocean region countries.
In deciding which of the two project to join, it will come down to which country is more serious about the project; which is offering better financial benefits
And also the image of the nation will also play a very important role in this.
As India provides a better democratic opportunity, it will come down to whether Indian project Mausam can provide the financial benefits which are relevant as compared to the Maritime silk route project.