A fleet of four ships sailed out of the Tagus, in Portugal, on the 8th July
1497. Their departure accompanied by the tears shed by the crowds, and the
chant of the priests was to have a colossal effect on this remote location on
the Indian subcontinent.Vasco da Gama and his band of adventurers had setout to
find a new route to India, and to break the monopoly that the Turks held in the
spice trade. They reached India on 18 May1498.
Vasco da Gama's voyage opened the Indian Route, or Cape Route, as it was also
known, that is to say regular sailings of fleets between the West and the East.
The Indian route allowed an important commercial traffic, the expansion and
consolidation of the Portuguese Empire, the dissemination of the Portuguese
language, and culture; and the legacy of the values and ideals of Christianity
in the Orient and Goa.
The broad horizon of information provided by the 'Discoveries' was
responsible for showing Europeans the truth about the ways of life, of the
Goans people and the Orient. This horizon of information brought about a
revolution in contemporary ways of living, not only through the knowledge it
revealed, but also through the exchanges it produced. This can be noticed in
many different areas, and with consequences that nowadays are part of the world
patrimony.
From Reagan D'costa
---------------------------------
Get easy, one-click access to your favorites. Make Yahoo! your homepage.
