The “blue economy” means sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, while preserving the health of marine ecosystems. It spans fisheries and aquaculture, port-led logistics, marine biotechnology, renewable offshore energy, coastal tourism and marine services, such as ocean observation and mapping.

As an example, India is actively preparing to harness its marine assets through place-based policy, infrastructure and science. It has a long coastline (officially about 7,516.6 km) and an Exclusive Economic Zone of roughly 2.02 million sq. km. To convert that potential into sustainable growth, India combines national programmes (e.g., the port-modernisation Sagarmala initiative) with sectoral investment such as the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), a fisheries and aquaculture scheme with total investment of about Rs 20,050 crore to boost production, value-chains and livelihoods (Ports & Waterways Ministry of India).

Crucially, India couples finance with research, monitoring and human capital. Institutions such as the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and the CSIR–National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) provide operational ocean forecasts, early warnings, mapping and long-term research that underpin policy and industry decisions. And also, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) plays a vital role in assessing marine fish stocks, developing mariculture technologies / innovations, and formulating ecosystem-based fisheries management approaches.

Meanwhile, the Central Agricultural Fisheries Research Institute (CAFRI) contributes to research on inland and coastal aquaculture systems, promoting sustainable and climate-resilient practices. The notable information sharing sessions to fishermen, such as training, exhibitions, are conducted via outreach arms of these institutes. Moreover, business incubation, industry to research links, academic and industry collaborations are promoted by the current workout plan. For instance, the recent meetings at MECOS-4, in Kochi, highlighted technology-driven ocean exploration, regional research networks and skills development for youth and women as central to scaling the blue economy, while highlighting the importance of achieving the sustainable blue economy benefits. We participated and extracted the essentials in the event as part of the BIMReN Research Grant on Sustaining Fisheries Ecosystem in the Palk Bay Region: Assessing Management Options, Livelihoods and Fishers’ Perspectives, offered by the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BoBP-IGO) and funded by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, aimed to strengthen cross-border collaboration in sustainable fisheries and blue economy research.

The Tamil Nadu Model: An Example of Living Laboratory of Collaboration

Tamil Nadu provides perhaps the most instructive example of how tripartite collaboration between the government, the academia, and industry collaboration can power the blue economy. The Department of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare work in close partnership with institutes like Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University and its network of para-professional training institutes. Together, they deliver structured skill-development programmes for fishers and entrepreneurs, covering boat handling, fishing gear repair, seaweed cultivation, mud crab and sea bass farming, and other sustainable aquaculture practices.

Moreover, the Educational–Sectoral Linkage Model and “field-to-lab-to-field” ensure a continuous flow of knowledge between researchers and practitioners such as field challenges faced by fishers and farmers, such as shrimp disease outbreaks or post-harvest losses, are systematically documented by fisheries officers and channelled to TNJFU or the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). These links have suggested strong Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), covering breeding, water quality management, stocking density, feeding regimes, feed formulations, disease-resistant strains, and environmentally friendly practices. This keeps profitability, sustainability, and ecological responsibility in balance.

Road Ahead: What Sri Lanka can learn

Sri Lanka can learn from these initiatives, and regional cooperation can help it reach its blue economy targets. Its coastline (about 1,340 km) and EEZ (about 532,619 sq km) make it a natural maritime state with urgent needs for ecosystem-based fisheries management, cold-chain investments, mariculture, and coastal zone resilience.

Sri Lanka’s blue economy future will depend on its ability to weave together research, governance, and grassroots action. A unified, evidence-based framework, grounded in education and regional partnerships, can turn its coastal frontiers into hubs of innovation and resilience. Therefore, practical lessons from India include: (1) align national investment (fisheries, ports, mariculture) with science-based spatial planning; (2) strengthen national ocean data services and forecasting; (3) invest in vocational and university programmes to create the next generation of marine professionals; and (4) build regional platforms — data sharing, joint research (e. g., BIMReN–BoBP-IGO collaborations) and coordinated fisheries governance, to manage shared stocks and transboundary risks such as climate change and marine pollution. Such a pragmatic, science-led blue economy is essential for Sri Lanka, rooted in research, skills, and regional cooperation. It will open pathways to resilient coastal livelihoods and higher-value maritime sectors.

Thus, the lessons from India’s blue economy initiatives remind us that sustainable ocean development is not achieved through isolated projects, but through systemic collaboration—anchored in science and sustained by people. This understanding will be especially important when working under new budget allocations and policies targeting the Blue Economy.

by Kapila Chinthaka Premarathne
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Agriculture, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, and Ragavan Nadarajah
Lecturer, Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Science, University of Jaffna

Avissawella’s quiet lanes, brushed by the cool breath of the Wet Zone Botanic Garden, witnessed a new kind of flowering recently — one not of petals, but of people, stories and ideas. Marigold Creation, a multidisciplinary educational and creative centre, opened its doors with an intimate artist talk that set the tone for what promises to be one of the region’s most transformative community hubs.

The space — part gallery, part studio, part learning centre — was inaugurated with a deeply reflective conversation featuring celebrated poet Ajana Ranagala, whose lyrical work Ape Aha Koheda Lily Mal framed the afternoon in tenderness and introspection. The crowd, a mix of students, academics, artists and villagers, gathered not just to listen, but to take part in a dialogue that roamed freely across poetry, memory, language, identity and the quiet urgencies of life.

For Waruni Anuruddhika Chandrasena, the founder of Marigold Creation, the event was a dream come true at its first sunrise. A filmmaker, researcher and multimedia lecturer with years of work in peacebuilding, visual culture and community empowerment, she describes Marigold Creation as “a seed nurtured over many years — shaped by people, place and purpose.”

Opening remarks of Marigold Creation, led by Founder Waruni Anuruddhika and Artist Ajana Ranagala during the inaugural gathering

“This space is rooted in the idea of an ecology of education,” Waruni told The Island.

“Education is not a one-way transmission. It breathes. It grows through relationships — between the learner and the community, between art and environment, between personal histories and shared knowledge.”

At Marigold Creation, this philosophy is not theory but practice. The centre houses a creative studio, gallery, vocational training spaces and a community hub, each designed to encourage reciprocal learning. The approach is both holistic and humble: to draw knowledge from the community, feed it back into the community, and allow creativity to become an everyday tool for empowerment.

During Saturday’s opening, this ethos unfolded gracefully. Ranagala’s session, titled “Ape Aha Koheda Lili Mal,” became more than a poetry reading — it turned into a collective meditation. Participants shared their reflections, questioned the intersections of language and belonging, and explored how literature can reveal what Waruni describes as “the unseen heartbeat of humanity.”

Reflecting on the event, she said,

“Marigold Creation is a response to a need I’ve felt for years — a place where learning is context-driven, accessible and conscious of the world we live in. We want to create a space where art meets education, where nature shapes creativity, where local stories matter.”

The centre’s location itself is an extension of this philosophy. Tucked near the lush Wet Zone Botanic Garden, its environment offers a living classroom — a reminder that education extends beyond walls, into the rustle of leaves, the quiet curve of the river and the lived experiences of people who call the area home.

In the wilderness where we locate – Marigold creation – We are in the biodiversity hotspot

Waruni, whose work has spanned collaborations with institutions from Cornell University to the UNDP, says her vision is grounded as much in global insight as in local reality.

“I’ve worked across disciplines and countries, but I’ve always felt that meaningful transformation begins at home — in our villages, in our small towns, among people whose stories rarely enter mainstream narratives.”

Artist Ajana Ranagala speaking at the artist talk and conversation, ‘Ape Aha Koheda Lili Mal.’

Her ongoing research into photography, political journalism and identity feeds into Marigold Creation’s broader purpose: to foster critical dialogue, encourage creative expression and build a platform where emerging voices can find their footing.

The centre’s founding pillars — inclusive education, ecological awareness, creative empowerment and community collaboration — were visibly alive during the opening. Children lingered over artworks, university students debated literary metaphors, and elders from the area shared stories that bridged generations.

If the inaugural event is any indication, Marigold Creation is poised to become more than a learning centre. It is a gathering place for ideas; a meeting ground for art and social consciousness; a space where, as Waruni puts it, “learning is not an event but a continuous, evolving relationship.”

As the evening wound down, the marigold-coloured sky outside seemed to echo the sentiment inside — that something new had indeed begun to bloom in Avissawella. Not loudly, but gently. Not as a monument, but as a living, breathing ecosystem of creativity.

“We are only at the beginning,” Waruni said with a quiet smile.

“This is the first step in a collective journey — one that we hope will grow with every story shared, every class taught, every conversation sparked. Marigold Creation is for everyone. It belongs to the community.”

And if the warmth of its first gathering is any sign, the community is already embracing it — not just as a centre, but as a promise.

By Ifham Nizam

As a child I always wanted to listen to a story. However, most of the elderly people I knew were not so good at telling stories. One day I found a tramp at the doorstep asking for a morsel of food. When my mother offered him something to eat, I asked him whether he could tell me a story. Then he settled down under a tree. Some of my friends, too, flocked around him. He looked at us lovingly and told the following story.

“A long time ago, I was spending my New Year holidays with my eldest daughter and her kids. While we were chatting at night a sudden storm started blowing and the kuppi lampuva (bottle lamp) was nowhere to be seen. We couldn’t see anything or anyone in the house. The kids started crying. As there was nothing else to do, I narrated a story. One day when I was living alone in my house, I heard a crash in the attic. Everybody was shocked. I told the kids that I would go in and investigate. To my horror I found a baby elephant in the attic. It was trying to read some of my old books kept there.”

“The storm was still raging and the kids were eager to know what happened to the elephant in the attic. We stayed huddled together for some time. After a while, the stormy weather subsided and the kids heaved a sigh of relief. “What happened to the little jumbo?” a kid asked. The little jumbo had disappeared when the bottle lamp was lit.”

Imagination

This type of story-telling is better than reading a story in a book. You do not need to tell a complete story to children. Leave something to their imagination. This is definitely better than reading a story from a book. When you narrate a story there is always an immediate feedback. “Then what happened?” We forget the fact that we tell stories to our friends all the time. “You know, this guy is a strange fellow. He doesn’t talk to anyone but manages to live alone in his small house. However, he is always at the doorstep looking at the passers-by like a lord.”

Getting started is the first hurdle in story-telling. Sometimes shyness will hold you back or you might have the fear that you will not be able to finish the story. Therefore weave a story from your childhood experiences or something you have heard. Such stories have a magic because they will take you back to your childhood.

When once you are relaxed you can really let your imagination to make interesting episodes. Keeping the children’s attention is easy if your story is very imaginative. When you sense that children’s interest is flagging drop in a dramatic element: “Then we saw a huge foot print at the base of the cave. I thought it was the foot print of a giant coming out of the cave. Then do you know what happened?”

Audience participation

In order to tell a tale successfully you need audience participation. Sometimes you start the tale but someone else will move it forward. Still, you have to abide by some basic rules. Do not allow anyone to kill off the protagonist or the main character. If you find it difficult to finish off a tale, bring in the ‘act of God’ for which you do not have to offer any explanation.

At home or parties you can adopt the improvisation technique to tell the story. Everyone loves to listen to a well-crafted story that would mesmerize them. Always try to use the creative right side of your brain. The imagination of good story tellers is unlimited. If you feel that you are getting stuck in the middle of a story, simply look around and you will find something interesting. Then you can tell the story in a different way. If everything fails, tell that you will continue the story tomorrow.

Stories have more influence than any amount of preaching or lecturing. Aesop became famous because of his fables narrated lucidly. As a child I always carried a copy of Aesop’s Fables for constant reading. Stories work their magic on bored children. One day a child asked his grandfather to narrate a story about a tap. The grandfather knew that the child was testing him. He thought for a moment and said, “Have you ever heard the story of an old brass tap in an abandoned house? You know the brass tap was once a shiny little thing. The housewife always polished it, but the children always blackened it with dirt.”

Brass tap

“One day the old house had to be demolished. The brass tap ended up in a junkyard. However, a kid picked it up and polished it. His father fitted the shining brass tap in the bathroom. The kid who brought it home was thrilled.”

One day our English teacher brought some line drawings to the class and distributed them to the students. We were wondering what to do with the line drawings. “Children, now you have to make up a story to fit into the line drawing you have got.” Some children kept on staring at the line drawings while a few students kept on writing stories. It was a novel experience in story-telling. Those who wrote stories became good story tellers in later life.

Children are the most ephemeral of creatures who will be thrilled to hear a well-knit story. They may forget the news on television but will remember the stories they have heard. There were many folk tales about Andare, the court jester and Mahadenamutta. Today there is hardly anyone to tell those stories to children because television and computers have robbed the children’s curiosity to listen to stories. On the other hand, even their parents and grandparents have become victims of modern way of living. The younger generation is more interested in looking at moving figures on the television screen than listening to stories.

In the so-called Digital Age it looks like adults have no time or inclination to tell stories and children have been weaned from the habit of listening to age-old tales.

By R.S. Karunaratne
karunaratners@gmail.com