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21 August 2024 at 10:20:16 am

Hollow Hearts

Pune has long cultivated an image of itself as Maharashtra’s cultural and educational capital. Yet, the alleged murder of a young businessman by his fiancée and her lover at Lohagad Fort reveals a darker reality that beneath the city’s polished image lies a growing culture of selfishness, emotional emptiness and moral decay. According to police investigations, what initially appeared to be a tragic trekking accident has been revealed as a carefully planned killing. The victim was allegedly...

Hollow Hearts

Pune has long cultivated an image of itself as Maharashtra’s cultural and educational capital. Yet, the alleged murder of a young businessman by his fiancée and her lover at Lohagad Fort reveals a darker reality that beneath the city’s polished image lies a growing culture of selfishness, emotional emptiness and moral decay. According to police investigations, what initially appeared to be a tragic trekking accident has been revealed as a carefully planned killing. The victim was allegedly pushed into a gorge by his fiancée and her lover. The details are chilling not merely because of the violence involved, but because of the cold calculation that appears to underpin it. The shocking part is that the victim was not allegedly targeted by strangers or enemies, but by someone who was due to be his life partner. The victim’s father’s, suspecting a bigger conspiracy, has said his son now appears to have been targeted on previous occasions. A society functions on the assumption that bonds of affection, loyalty and commitment still matter. When those bonds are betrayed with such apparent ease, the damage extends far beyond a single crime. Previous generations in Pune, for all their imperfections, tended to view courtship, marriage and family obligations through the lens of duty as much as desire. Commitments were not always honoured, but they were generally regarded as sacred. Today, among sections of the urban middle class, a more transactional ethic appears to be taking hold. Individual fulfilment is elevated above every other consideration and fidelity is seen less as a virtue than as a lifestyle choice. Modern India is witnessing unprecedented prosperity. Cities like Pune have transformed from sleepy educational centres into hubs of real estate, information technology and consumption. While prosperity has expanded opportunities that previous generations could scarcely imagine, rising wealth has regrettably become the sole measure of worth. The Lohagad case is not entirely isolated from broader trends visible in the city. In recent years Pune has repeatedly found itself in the headlines for reasons that sit uneasily with its self-image. Reckless displays of privilege, rising criminality among affluent youth and a growing sense that money can bend rules have all tarnished the city's reputation. The Porsche crash that outraged the nation became a symbol of entitlement unconstrained by responsibility. The Lohagad case, though very different in its particulars, speaks to a similar malaise of the weakening of moral limits. The tragedy at Lohagad should be seen as more than a lurid crime story. It is a warning about a city, and perhaps a country, in which material advancement has outpaced moral reflection. Pune’s greatest challenge today is not managing growth. It is preserving the values that once gave meaning to that growth.

Indian Shipbuilding A Must Win Marathon

Shipbuilding

With a coastline of 7500 KM, it is hard to imagine, that for the first 20 years (1947-1967) India had no ‘shipping ministry’. In 1967 a Shipping ministry “coupled” with ROAD transport was established. Since then, this ministry has been on a name changing ride, not once, not twice but six times. In 2009 the “ROAD Transport and Highways” was de-coupled and ‘Shipping’ ministry was formed. Turning point came in 2015 with a clear maritime vision for 2030 and 2047. Ministry was re-christened, aptly to Ministry of “Ports, Shipping and Waterways” in 2020.


Why is Shipbuilding important for a country?

a. A Shipyard becomes an opportunity hub and like a queen bee requires the support of an industrial colony to manufacture machinery and equipment.

b. National Shipyards support fleet renewal needs of the Navy.

c. Contributes to national GDP, increases inflow of FOREX.


Korea shipbuilding is 8% of GDP. Japan’s automobile industry is 2.9% of GDP. India’s shipbuilding a meagre 0.000578% of GDP. In context, India’s pharmaceutical industry, ranked third largest in the world is 1.72% of India’s GDP.


International Shipbuilding Market

The market is estimated to reach around USD 200 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.84%. While India is at bottom with 0.07% of world share, behind Philippines 1.5% and Vietnam 1%, however on the positive side, India has done well in taking care of its defence needs, with 37 of 39 Naval ships being built in India yards. Rear Admiral S Shrikhande researching on maritime as a Fellow at Wollongong University, Australia, says “Shipbuilding in India needs both, serious incentivisation and dogged determination and not harping on being a big ship breaking country. That Garden Reach shipyard has a $54 million order for merchant ships from a German owner, is a good sign.”


Were Shipyards of 20th century in Flight mode?

Prominent shipyards in India were built in the colonial period. Mazagon Dock 1774, Garden reach 1884, Hindustan shipyard 1941 to cater to British navy and merchant fleet needs. Cochin shipyard 1972, Adani Katupalli 2013, Reliance Naval and Engineering, Rajula Gujarat 1997 and others have limited capacity, hence a lot more work to do. Capt. Subhangshu Dutt (Singapore) a mariner and now a shipowner, says “GOI should hold hands in any collaboration till the marriage with the foreign entity is reasonably stable. He also suggests that “new shipbuilding sites should be given to existing successful shipyards since they have decades of experience and talent. Consortium of 3 or more parties may also be good idea”.


Shipbuilding GOLD

As per SPLASH report the demand for LCO2 carriers could reach 2,500 ships by 2050. As per other estimates, 40% of global fleet of ships could have wind propulsion by 2050. A surge in such vessels is due to an unparallel waves of decarbonization in the shipping industry. Demand for ships with ‘carbon neutral’ badges, such as Dual fuel, Wind assisted, Nuclear fuel ships, Hydrogen powered ships, Liquified CO2 (LCO2) carrier, is outstripping supply. A must in the ‘bucket list’ of every Shipyard. Pinning down a standard ROI in shipbuilding is not easy, but experts suggest it could range from 4% to 15% for the high demand ‘carbon neutral’ ships. While an LNG new build vessel could cost US$ 250 million upwards.


International collaboration

On China’s shipbuilding success story, Manoj Pandalanghat (Singapore) a mariner and ship owner believes that “China has around 50 active Shipyards. Each have a few large dry docks. In each dock two or more large vessels are built simultaneously. Thus, a single yard is able to roll out 2/3 vessels/month, 36 vessels/year and 50 shipyards roll out 1800 vessels/year”.


China could be a jaldi-5, but India needs a sturdy Mount Fiji. Besides technology, Japanese bring the most important hand baggage of soft-skills and culture, essential for success from keel laying to delivery. Maruti’s is a standing example.


Food for thought for New Delhi

a. Expertise: Hire Naval Architects and shipbuilding experts with current international experience.

b. Government assistance: Land, Financial support, subsidies and timebound clearances.

c. Monitoring: PMO should monitor the first 5 to 10 years till Shipbuilding takes-off on this long-haul flight to destination 2047.


India’s Shipbuilding is expected to grow to $237 billion by year 2047. On a back of the envelope calculations this works out to about 4% of India’s 2047 projected GDP of $ 5 trillion. While cars are driven on roads, however the Ministry of roads and transport has little to do with “Automobile manufacturing”. On a similar note, ‘Shipbuilding’ as an industry has little to do with Ports, Shipping and Waterways, thus it may be worthwhile to consider a separate ‘Ship-building’ wing in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways headed by a dynamic cabinet rank minister. Since 2047 targets are stiff and an uphill task, so in all probabilities, the officials in Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways are likely to push beneath the carpet, delays and failures of Shipbuilding with sweet success stories of “Ports, Shipping and Waterways” and if this does happen then India will not only miss the Shipbuilding bus of 21st century but a lot more from a national security and strategic perspective.


(The author is a Shipping and Marine consultant. Member Singapore Shipping Association and empaneled with IMO as a specialist consultant. Views personal.)

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