JOI 2026

Global trade continues to move across oceans shaped by uncertainty rather than stability. As maritime routes grow increasingly contested, Indian seafarers remain central to sustaining global supply chains under rising risk. In this evolving order, the oceans are no longer just connectors of commerce, but spaces where strategy, conflict, and resilience intersect.

Who is my neighbour? This blog challenges the idea that neighbourhood is defined only by land borders. Inspired by a classroom question that later shaped the NCERT Grade 7 chapter India and Her Neighbours, it expands the concept to include India’s maritime identity, Indian Ocean connections, and regional diplomacy. Geography emerges not as static maps, but as lived experience shaped by connectivity, cooperation, and shared responsibility.