When Rear Admiral Madanjit Singh famously replied, “Since before Christ!" to a British warship off Oman in 1996, he was not merely delivering a witty comeback. He was invoking a deeper historical truth: India’s presence in the Indian Ocean predates European colonial ambitions by millennia. Three decades later, that statement rings louder than ever, not just because the Indian Navy is now a formidable blue-water force, but because India has finally found tangible proof of its ancient maritime prowess.

The silent voyage of INSV Kaundinya through the Arabian Sea is not a ceremonial stunt. It is an act of civilisational reclamation.

From Hiding In Harbours To Dominating The Ocean

Fast forward to May last year. During Operation Sindoor, Indian warships took up battle stations, and the Pakistan Navy — once vocal and provocative — chose to remain confined to harbour. No missiles were fired, no shots exchanged. Yet intent was unmistakably communicated. This is the hallmark of real power: deterrence through capability, not noise.

Today, India operates aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, and long-range surveillance platforms. The Indian Ocean, named after our country, is once again seeing an Indian Navy that commands respect. But this strength is not new. It is a revival.

Long before Vasco da Gama stumbled onto our shores, Indian traders sailed to Rome, Egypt, Southeast Asia, and China. Roman gold and silver coins discovered in Tamil Nadu, and Indian coins found in Europe, are mute witnesses to a vibrant global trade network that India once dominated.

The Harappans built the world’s oldest known dry dock at Lothal during the Bronze Age. Fifth-century Ajanta cave paintings depict large, three-masted ships clearly capable of oceanic travel, sailing towards Southeast Asia. Indian mariners reached Cambodia, Vietnam, and beyond centuries before European explorers.

Yet, for all this, sceptics demanded physical proof. Paintings, coins, and literary........

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