the tale is set in the background of the British merchants forcing farmers in the gangetic plain to grow opium, thus creating generations of landless laborers. the opium grown in India is crucial for the british to get a foothold into china for trade.
during a lunch hosted by neel rattan-the raja of raskhali, mr burnham, a trader of the east india company, speaks of how the chinese have no use for british products and manufactures, but that britain needs the silk and tea from china. if not for opium, mr burnham says, britain would not be able to sustain the trade in silver alone. mr burnham- a servant of free trade- is very clear that free trade is a right conferred upon man by God and if it was God's will to open up the chinese markets using opium, then so be it!!!
the raja is paying scant attention to the converasation, his attention being rivetted by the wilting water lillies in the centre of the table, that are sitting in an old porcelain chamber -pot.
the burnham household also has paulette- a dead french botanist's daughter, who runs away when mr. burnham begins to trouble her with his unwelcome requests for being chastened with a 'jaaru' used to clean toilets, by applying the same with great force to his posterior.
another important character is deeti- kabutri ki maa-, whose courage and undauntable will provide a brilliant background to the story. she is married to an ex-soldier, who is an opium addict, working in an opium factory. on his death, deeti is forced to remember the events which resulted in the conception of kabutri and the dastardly role that her husband's brother played in it. while the husband's family plots to make her a 'sati' so that they can live off the earnings of a sati-shrine, deeti manages to escape from her funeral pyre and is saved by kalua - who belongs to an untouchable caste. the most touching scene is when deeti makes a garland of flowers, strings them with her own hair and 'marries' her saviour-kalua.
paulette, deeti, kalua and the raja of raskhali become passengers on the ship-IBIS- carrying basically coolies to mauritius.
paulette's brother by relation rather than blood- jodu also is on the ship as a lascar, which was his life long ambition.
the ship's second mate- zachary reid- zikri malum to the rest of the lascars- is not a white man but through a series of events has now come to be regarded as one. it is not a secret but is not published either. he has a soft corner for miss paulette lambert and had been approached by her seeking his assistance to get away from the burnham household. he is unable to help her in the way she wants and is therefore shocked to find her on his ship with the coolie-cargo.
the ship -IBIS-is from america and is used to carrying slaves. but with the abolition of slavery the business opportunity has dwindled. the landless coolies are therefore crucial as cargo, to keep business going for the american ships.
when the IBIS is heading out of calcutta harbour out into the sea, it has to wait for the tidal wave - bore- to sweep it out, zikri malum gets in to the water to free one of the anchor ropes from the bouy. it is jodu who saves him by pulling him onto his slim long boat, and rowing to reach the bouy where the two of them hold on to each other and lash themselves with a rope to the bouy. the immense weight of the bore covers them and the bouy. the description of this incident seems so real that you feel you are actually under water and you hold your breath till the bore passes over.
the drama on the IBIS, is described so well that you can actually live the life of the coolies, convicts, lascars, guards and the dope addicted captain. you can hear the bhojpuri wedding songs, smell the stench of the sweat soaked bodies, feel the fear when the ship reaches the black waters, experience the sting of the lashes when kalua is whipped by bhairon singh....
the global village may have become a very popular term in recent years to explain the interconnectedness of economies, but it was the same even two hundred years ago. the story with its rich and exquisitely detailed language makes the period come alive. a remarkable novel. i can only wait for the sequel that amitav ghosh has promised.
