Project Mausam

Project Mausam is an initiative of the Indian Ministry of Culture aimed at studying, documenting, and rebuilding maritime cultural and historical linkages among the countries along the Indian Ocean littoral (the coastal region). 
Name meaning:
The word “Mausam” comes from regional languages and the Arabic mawsim, meaning weather or season, historically referring to the seasonal winds that enabled safe sailing across the Indian Ocean. 

Objectives:
Reconnect maritime cultures: Re-establish links between Indian Ocean countries based on shared seafaring, commercial, and cultural histories. 
Promote collaborative research: Bring together historians, archaeologists, and researchers to study cultural, economic, and religious exchanges that took place across coastal regions. 
Highlight heritage sites: Provide a platform to link cultural and natural heritage sites across the Indian Ocean countries, contributing to a unified narrative of historical exchanges. 
World Heritage nominations: Support transnational nominations of maritime routes and landscapes for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

Key implementing bodies:
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) – nodal coordinating agency
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
National Museum, New Delhi 

Significance:
The initiative highlights how historical monsoon-driven navigation shaped trade, culture, religion, knowledge systems, and technology across vast regions from East Africa to Southeast Asia, promoting a shared understanding of Indian Ocean heritage.