Adventure on the high seas
The Hindu
Friday, Jan 20, 2006
RAMESH SETH
Two sea voyages changed the course of history - one was the journey of Columbus
and the other was Vasco da Gama's.
Vasco da Gama engaged the services of Ibn Majid, an Indian sailor, whose
knowledge of the monsoon winds successfully guided the expedition to Calicut.
In 1492, Columbus discovered the sea route to America. In 1498, Vasco da Gama
discovered the sea route to India. Interestingly both the voyages were to find
a sea route between Europe and India. These two sea voyages have made a lasting
impact. In 1453, after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks the
overland trade route between India and Europe was disrupted. The Europeans were
keen to find a direct sea route to India. That was the era of adventure and
discovery in Europe. Vasco da Gama was born in 1469, in Portugal. In 1497, when
he was 32 years old, he embarked on this epic journey to find the sea route to
India. Whereas Columbus travelled west in search of sea route to India, da Gama
decided to follow the sea route around Africa. Vasco da Gama left Lisbon on
July 8, 1497, with a fleet of four ships. The São Gabriel, commanded by Vasco
da Gama himself, with a crew of 150, the São Rafael and the Berrio, a slightly
smaller ship and a storage ship, the name of which is now unknown.
Following the western coast of Africa, da Gama sailed south. He reached the
southern tip of Africa and then rounded it following it to the north along the
eastern coast. He eventually reached modern-day Mozambique on the East African
coast. Mozambique was part of the Indian Ocean's network of trade. Da Gama
continued travelling north, landing at the port of Malindi. It was here that
the expedition first noted evidence of Indian traders. It was also here that da
Gama engaged the services of Ibn Majid, an Indian sailor, whose knowledge of
the monsoon winds successfully guided the expedition the rest of the way to
Calicut on the Kerala coast of southwest India. They arrived at Calicut, India
on May 20, 1498, after a journey of eight months. Thus they succeeded in
finding a direct sea route between Europe and India. Da Gama sought trade
concession from the Zamorin. Local Arab merchants who had the monopoly of
India's foreign trade did not appreciate da Gama's arrival. They perceived him
as a threat. They tried to block any relationship with the Zamorin and the
Portuguese. However, da Gama was successful in obtaining some sort of trading
concessions from the Zamorin. That was the beginning of direct Indo-European
trade, bypassing the Arab middlemen. When Vasco da Gama returned to Portugal
in September 1499, after his first journey to India, he was richly rewarded as
the man who had brought to fruition a plan that had taken almost a century. He
was also awarded the title Dom (Count) by Manuel I.
Portuguese colonialism
Vasco da Gama's success also led to 450 years of Portuguese colonialism in
India that brought wealth and power to the Portuguese. They established their
headquarters in Goa from where they ruled for 450 years. It was only in 1958
that Goa was free of the Portuguese.
However, there is an aside to all this. The modern European colonialism started
with India when the European powers started exercising extra-territorial
control over it. And also, the end of colonialism began when India became
independent in 1947. Thereafter all the other colonies throughout the world
became free in the next 30 years.
That shows the importance of India in the context of the rest of the world.
