Sea of Poppies
by Amitav Ghosh
Penguin Books India, 2008
The year is 1838. A ship, the Ibis, arrives in Calcutta. It is the recent acquisition of Benjamin Burnham, who, having built an empire exporting opium to China, has entered the highest pinnacle of Calcutta society. But these are bad days for the opium trade. The Chinese government, in view of the harmful affects of opium on its population, has decided to ban all imports. The British are planning a naval assault on the Chinese, to teach them a lesson and to forcibly open up their markets. In the meantime, Burnham has decided to use his newly acquired ship as an alternate source of profit – for the transport of indentured labourers and convicts to Mauritius.
Burnham is the very embodiment of the hypocrisy that lay at the heart of the British Raj, and that continues to influence the foreign policy of powerful countries to this day – the ruthless pursuit of profit cloaked by a veneer of piety, and the self-imposed duty of 'civilising' the 'uncivilised'. He is one of the most eminent British representatives in the most important city of the Raj. He is a pious Christian, with an intimate knowledge of scripture and close ties to the missionaries. Religion, the civilising mission and the pursuit of profit all coalesce in his mind to form an overarching ethic of life, one summed up in his favourite quote: "Jesus Christ is free trade, and free trade is Jesus Christ."
Not satisfied merely with this piece of devastating irony, Amitav Ghosh proceeds to mock Burnham further in an exchange with the captain of the Ibis, Zachary Reid. After being informed that the ship is to be used to transport indentured labourers, Reid asks, "Do you mean to use her as a slaver, sir? But have not your English laws outlawed that trade?" Burnham replies, "Yes indeed they have, Reid. It's sad but true that there are many who'll stop at nothing to halt the march of human freedom … as I see it, Reid, the Africa trade was the greatest exercise in freedom since God let the children of Israel out of Egypt."