Maritime education in India- The theory practice Conundrum
Introduction
Looking back in time, it is clear that the genesis of shipping or sailing never relied on equipment or a surfeit of theory, rather it banked almost entirely on the spirit of adventure and a zeal for risk. Over a period of time, sailing and navigation studies have changed from an art to a science. Initially voyages were planned based on positions of stars and moon indicating time and direction, which later gave way to equipment such as the sextant and chronometers. Ship building which involves intricate engineering was not even a big deal till the dawn of eighteenth century. The Industrial Revolution in the west also brought in sweeping changes when vessel engineering underwent complete transformation. Ship sizes increased radically and the ‘simple rowing’ was replaced by propellers and engine control. The steam power plant aboard ships were eventually replaced by diesel power plant and then to gas turbine plant. The Global Positioning System (GPS) or Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) brought in further changes in navigation training. Nature of cargo shipped across the continents changed too which brought…show more content… This was followed by the government initiative of installing TS Dufferin to train nautical students in 1927. Prior to these training initiatives for nautical hands, Indian ships were known to be of sturdy and skillful origin and were manned by able bodied sea-men. Back then the seafarers were trained entirely by on-hands apprenticeships and very little theoretical impart. It is very relevant to unveil a brief panorama of Indian maritime history and early seafarers before embarking on how the maritime courses came to be framed and how modern day curriculum still holds on to certain conventional training