Following the Sea of Poppies, the second installment of Amitav Ghosh's Ibis Trilogy, River of Smoke, takes the reader on an opium-infused, historic chronicle of panoramic proportions, as tide and fate wrestle in Canton's unpredictable waters. Sunday Mid Day listens in on its ripples
Following the Sea of Poppies, the second installment of Amitav Ghosh's Ibis Trilogy, River of Smoke, takes the reader on an opium-infused, historic chronicle of panoramic proportions, as tide and fate wrestle in Canton's unpredictable waters. Sunday Mid Day listens in on its ripples
Mumbai's literati will love the sound of this. Amitav Ghosh is waxing eloquent about the city; Marine Drive comes in for special praise -- "Isn't the view simply spectacular?" he observes from the rooftop at The Trident, in between sips of tea. The overcast skies, despite casting a hazy blanket over the Queen's Necklace and the Arabian Sea, inspire Ghosh to marvel about Mumbai's sights, smells and sounds. 
Then again, this fixation with coastal cities might have something to do with his love affair with Canton (Guangzhou) -- the epicentre of River of Smoke, the second installment of the Ibis Trilogy. The action moves eastward, to this floating British colonial jewelpiece that drew the Chinese, rather reluctantly, into a world-order changing scenario. The fortunes of Bombay opium magnate Bahram Modi aboard the Anahita, of Mr Fitcher and Paulette on the Redruth and of the slave ship, the Ibis, get tossed in storms, wars and politics. We got the master storyteller to sail us through time and tide.
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Why and how did you decide to include the long-reaching arm of opium trade to play a central role in the Sea of Poppies and now, with River of Smoke?
The Sea of Poppies began as a story about departures. It chronicles the earliest journeys from India, those of indentured workers who left the hinterland in the 19th century. I was particularly interested in the fact that they hailed from the region where Bhojpuri was spoken (Benaras-Patna belt). I wondered why so many from these parts harboured deep intentions of leaving India. Ideally, the influx should have been from India's coastal belt, right? In 2004-05, as I began my research by looking into these journeys, I discovered that opium trade had become a major development, of course of their movement, with the blessings of the British East India Company. The two paths (indentured labour and opium) couldn't escape this reality -- there was a connection as the two drifted towards an unexpected direction.
You are hailed as the master method-researcher of our times. How much did you have to push the envelope for River of Smoke? What were some of the most startling discoveries and insights that greeted you?
Extensive research was inevitable as this book goes in many directions -- be it painting, which was one of the most important aspects of the book, to botany. It helped immensely with developing amateur botanist Paulette Lambert's character. I spent a month in 2003-04 in Mauritius; it proved very useful and productive for my research. The National Archives in the outskirts of Port Louis was a treasure trove and my visits there gave me amazing insights and perspective into their (indentured labourers) travels. Their exhaustive records and archives were impressive. In fact, Le Morne Brabant, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is preserved like a shrine. Also, Chinese paintings (also called Chinese export paintings) provided excellent pictorial records and were a rich archive. In fact, I'm quite sure that the postcard was invented in China. Did you know that the Chinese probably invented the envelope?
In River of Smoke, which character's course was the most challenging to chart?
Bahram Mody. The Bombay-based wealthy Parsi opium-trading merchant's character was most fascinating. He was an interesting, compelling personality -- I was deeply interested in him and in his evolution from every angle, as the book progressed. Of course, I've had to change names, including his from original records and archives that I referred to for my research.
Let's turn history on its head -- what if the Opium Wars never occurred? How different would Canton and the World Order have looked?
It's hard to say. The picture of 19th century China is a very mistaken one. The Chinese were trying hard to adapt to the world around them. They were far more dynamic and "Western" in thought than they were made out to be. Coming back to your question, in the absence of the Opium Wars, China would have emerged as a great world power in that period. It would have certainly and significantly changed the dynamics of the 20th century.
Looking at Indo-Chinese relations today, were ties any different in the 19th century?
It wasn't India but Great Britain that forcibly drew a border between us. The Chinese had never accepted it then. We have merely inherited this legacy. The book reveals to some extent, India's strong presence in that part of the world. Indians were the single largest group in China at the time and business was booming.
Was 19th century Bombay different from Canton?
The two cities were poles apart! Bombay was a small outpost of the British Empire, made of seven islands. Canton, on the contrary, had emerged as one of the world's biggest, most prosperous and dynamic cities. In fact, even Calcutta, which was the most important town for the British on the Indian subcontinent, had less than a million in comparison to Canton where a million lived on its boats along the river.
What can readers take away from this book?
Readers have told me that it's a page turner. That they felt as if they travelled and were immersed in another world. That was what it felt like for me too, as I wrote this book -- like Bahram Mody's opium-teased dreams. How do you manage to complete a book when you maintain three desks -- in Brooklyn, Goa and Kolkata?
Writing books is an extended act of concentration. Having Goa in my life has been a gift. I've treasured its peace and quiet. In fact, a sizeable portion of the book was written in Goa. After my India book tour, I will take time off in Goa.
River of Smoke published by Penguin India is available for Rs 699
Follow Mr Ghosh online
If Amitav Ghosh's opiate-induced dreamland has piqued your imagination, visiting that time and space just got easier.u00a0 Penguin India launched www.theibistrilogy.com, which has references for both books, insights into the historical canvas and audio-video promos about the Lascari language spoken by characters in the trilogy. Finally, the Painted Tour offers a view of the paintings from the author's desk.
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