In the book you mention that one of your ancestors passed away in the Black Hole of Calcutta (now Kolkata). Did this push you to embark on the project?
Absolutely not. But in the wider sense I do feel that this is my family history as much as everything else. Not just that guy (Stair Dalrymple), but generations of my family were involved, first in the East India Company (EIC) and then in the British Raj. Along the way, I have acquired trickles of Bengali and Mughal blood. Being Scottish as well as part-Bengali and part-Mughal, I am well-placed to see all sides of the story.
Earlier, there were Phoenician traders in the Mediterranean, Silk Route traders in Eurasia and Indian traders in East Africa and Maritime Southeast Asia. What was so different about EIC)​ traders?
This story is from the December 01, 2019 edition of Down To Earth.
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This story is from the December 01, 2019 edition of Down To Earth.
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