Crossroads indeed. India from 1500 to 1700 experienced massive incoming wealth due to direct trade with Europe, three Islamic gunpowder empires of Ottomans in the west, Safavids in the middle and Mughals settling for a largely balanced position and introduction of new world crops for increased agricultural output.
Trade with Europe became so profitable that India during this time imported almost nothing from them, except hard currencies. All the silver and gold from the West came pouring in, while India exported absolute necessities for Europeans. Be it cheap, quality cotton textiles on a scale never seen before, all feeding the rapidly increasing European population and their slave markets. Spices remained an eternal daily need for colder countries. Indians won't necessarily understand why bother crossing seas just to get a bit of pepper, which we casually pluck from our gardens. It doesn't even taste that good on its own, spicy but a different kind of spicy from chilli. We don't have a pressing need for food preservation like they have because our farms produce 12 months a year, and we have plenty of fertile land everywhere. Europeans were literally coming from thousands of kilometres, bringing in silver for mere leaves of plants here.
Then comes the Islamic gunpowder empire factor, three vast governments and people were ready to sit at the same table, sharing a few jokes over coffee, which meant that there was no sudden threat of Mongols or other nomadic incursions. They could enjoy relative stability, which was uncharacteristic in this region. This remained almost true for 2 centuries, sure, there were occasional frictions, but none that would prevent the rulers from exchanging gifts on festivals. The 2nd Mughal emperor, Humayun, lost all his empire in India and simply ran away. But the Safavid Persian Shah gifted him an army, and then the Mughals reestablished themselves. Even later emperors would exchange symbolic gifts, such as group paintings, to at least pretend to be buddy-buddy.
The last piece of wealth was new world crops like tobacco, potato, maize, chilli, tomato, etc. In the rest of the world, some of these crops, like maize and potatoes, became primary food. Think of Ireland farming potatoes on a scale never before, and with this hardy, cold-resistant and high-output crop, they rapidly increased their population. But India was already flooded with food; instead, what it did was to use cash crops like tobacco and chilli to make even more money from trade. Just like spices, these new crops became flavours for Indian taste rather than a fundamental crutch to solve some systemic problem.
"Enough of the flashback. Simple thing, this time = filthy rich India. I do wonder if, instead of Nashik, I was thrown by Yamraj in Bengal. An even richer place, but I can't speak the language. Plus, imagine sleeping alone in a room and I hear some Bengali song in the distance, with someone dancing and that familiar chumchumchum sound of anklets. The stuff of raw fear, although that Indian horror film doesn't hold a candle to Western or East Asian movies. But the hero of this novel is also someone like me, always dharmic, and every week I pray at the temple. So if any of my ghost sisters are listening to my monologue, please let me go, I'm even thinking of taking the brahmacharya oath (celibacy). You should go for someplace else. Jai Hanuman gyaan gun sagar ... " Prashant started freaking himself out during history lessons and desperately chanting half-remembered shlok (verses) from movies.
The night is going to be a bit longer. To distract himself, he started 'Introduction to Indian Geography: tuition notes' in his rapidly insane mind. India is a roughly inverted triangular-shaped country with all sides sealed off either by sea or geographical barriers like mountains, deserts and dense jungles. The country is divided into northern plains, with a perennial Indus River system on the west, the Ganges in the middle and the Bengal delta in the east. "Bengal.. why? Remember, all beings follow the path of dharma. Dharma is the order of natural balance, the righteous path and the moral duty of a person. Dead or living. So, unless you commit some wrongs, Indian ghosts won't harm you. Just in case, keep chanting Hanuman Chalisa. Yes, that will do; no ghost can harm me. I know my religion. But sisters, please don't come here. Let me explain the geography. Surely that'll bore you, and you can freely pester someone else." One mistake in thought pushed Prashant to the brink of insanity. What a great cheat reborn hero. If someone has any award lying around, hit him with it.
Southern India is characterised by coasts on both sides and the Deccan plateau in the middle. The plateau houses numerous independent river systems that carry monsoon water. So only 4 rainy months will have full incoming, and the rest of the year, they budget the surplus from rain. Nasik is roughly in the central band, the northwest corner of the Deccan. The coast and port city of Mumbai on the western shore are just a hundred kilometres away. But it was not an economic behemoth we know, probably it'll be just a small fishing village. "Time-please. Prashant will add trivia. The ancient Maurya emperor Ashoka had many pillars erected throughout the country. One of the pillars was in a place called Sopara in the southern part of India. Modern Mumbai has a place called Sopara, I'm willing to bet 4 peanuts and be Indiana Jones here. They are all the same. Even if I'm wrong, it was just my attempt at relieving stress and stress on the point that Indian land carried a long memory, from 200 BC to a railway station in the 21st century. What a great nation! Ghost sisters, see how I used the word 'stress' in two different ways, that's called grammar. I don't know any, but you should find someone proficient in it. You two will look like a good team. Please let me sleep, I'm running out of geography lessons, and I seriously want to sleep."
[Achievement unlocked: Witness of unspoken stories
(can communicate with ghosts)]
"WTF, cheat baba come out, why so much injustice? Surely this should trigger a negative removal effect from the previous title. Huh? Please explain, the nation wants to know. I should better be a nastik (non-believer) and spawn photos of Karl Marx, Newton, and Prem Chopra (a villain actor). Please. Ram ram ram...." And Prashant forgot everything about geography, spices and kingdoms. Hopefully tomorrow he'll regain his sanity and continue on the cultures of India and what he is going to do with the cheat.