Contestations in the Bay of Bengal have never been as fierce as they are today ever since the colonial powers fought one another in these waters. One part of it is considered a gateway to heaven (swargdwar in Sanskrit); another is the world’s largest mangrove forests. It is the world’s largest bay (spread across 2,600,000 square kilometres) and has 11 major rivers from three countries flowing into it, and its proximity to some of the world’s most strategically vital transportation and communication lines makes the Bay of Bengal impossible to ignore or not covet.