Day: July 16, 2011

By H. Bhuban Singh
THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF THE PORTUGUESE
Towards the end of the fifteen century around 1486, the Portguese King John II sent three vessels under the command of Bartholomew Dias to discover the southern limit of the African continent. Dias was the navigator to double the Cape, where the tempestuous weather, he encountered, led him to designate it as “The Cape of Storms”; but his delighted sovereign, hoping to reach India by this route called it “The Cape of Good Hope”. (Please refer “History of India” by John Clark; Arkansa Publication House; New Delhi).

Eleven years elapsed and King John II was succeeded by King Emamuel and in 1497, he sent here vessels, in the hope of finding a way to India. Of course, they (Europeans) knew about the existence of a fabulous country called India by land route through Persia, now Iran, the reality of Persian Gulf and the conquest by Alexander the Great upto India, when he conquered Syria, Phoenicia and Egypt in 333 B.C. and established the city of Alexandria in Egypt.

When Alexander defeated King Porus of India, and captured the Indian King, mediaeval history revealed that Alexander the Great asked Porus how he liked to be treated. Upon this, Porus replied “Like a King, of course.” The surprised Alexander just did that.

Going back to para (2) above the fleet of three vessels was led by Vasco de Gama and left Lisbon on the 8th July 1497, amidst the acclamation of the King, the Court and the people. He landed at Calicut in the Malabar Coast in May 1498, after eleven months of sailing and brought the enterprise to a glorious end.

The Hindu ruler, styled the Zameorin (King) like Nizam, Nawab, Gaikwad, Maharaja, Raja etc. gave the Portuguese commander an honourable reception and at once granted him the privilege of trade in his dominion. However, Asian traders from Arab countries and African traders from Egypt informed the Zamorin that Vasco de Gama was a pirate and thus Vasco de Gama had to return to Portugal after an absence of twenty six months on 29th August 1499. Before returning to Europe, Vasco de Gama conquered Goa, Daman and Diu.

Currently, Goa is a State of Indian Republic, whereas Dadra and Nagar Haveli also Daman and Diu are Union Territories.

The wealth which Portugal had acquired in the 15th century by trade with the east raised an earnest desire in England, to obtain a share of it.

COMING OF THE BRITISH
In 1583, Mr. Fitch and three other British adventurers travelled the length and breadth of the unknown continent of India and the account they brought home of the opulence of its various kingdoms and the grandeur of the cities, opened a lucrative vision to the English nation.

At that time, the Greatest Mughal Emperor Akbar was ruling India, from Afghanistan on the west, to Bengal in the east and from Jammu and Kashmir on the north, to Berar and Ahmadnagar in the south. The report of the visit of Mr. Fitch and his three companions transmitted an eagerness to do trade with India.

BIRTH OF BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY
Having learnt about the richness of India, the grandeur of its cities, five young enterprising people met at a dingy first floor room of a hotel in London and discussed about ways and means of doing trade with India. Their discussion started on 31 Dec. 1599 evening and continued till daybreak of 1st Jan 1600, possibly to celebrate New Year also. The five persons were merchants, iron – mongers, clothiers and other men of substance and subscribed a sum of 30,333/- for the purpose of opening trade to the East.

Next year (1600), Queen Elizabeth the First, granted them a Charter of Incorporation under the title of East India Company.

VISIT OF SIR THOMAS ROE
Sir Thomas Roe arrived at the Court of Jehangir in 1615 as ambassador from King James the First, and obtained concessions for East India Company.

His accounts revealed that the Emperor sat on a low throne, covered with diamonds, pearls and rubies and had a great display of gold plates, vases and goblets set with jewels.

Sir Thomas Roe also presented some Sheffield-made swords and spears to Jehangir. Indian iron-mongers copied those weapons in their exact replica and found these Indian made ones, equal in quality and every aspects that it was found difficult to be differentiated from the British made ones. (A Brief History of India by Dr. R.C. Majumdar, M.A., Ph.D., former Vice-Chancellor, University of Dacca).

FORMATION OF DANISH AND FRENCH EAST INDIA COMPANIES
The Danish East India Company was founded in 1616 and the French East India Company in 1664. The Danish East India Company did not progress well and died soon in India.

GROWTH OF BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY
The British East India Company obtained a footing on Indian soil in spite of opposition by the Portuguese. Emperor Jahangir was not favourably disposed towards the Portuguese, who were brutish in behavior.

So, Emperor Jahangir granted an Imperial firman (decree) in 1612, authorizing the establishment of a British factory at Surat in Gujarat. The Danish (Dutch) East India Company did not progress well enough and died its natural death. However, they fared better in the far-east like Indo-China, Cambodia, Sumatra etc.

DESTRUCTION OF PORTUGUESE POWER IN BENGAL
In 1632, the Portuguese power in Bengal was destroyed by Emperor Shahjahan. In 1651, the British East India Company established a factory at Hoogly and obtained the right of trading duty-free in Bengal, in return for payment of an annual subsidy.

In 1639, the English established their factory at Madras and built Fort St. George to protect it. In 1661, Bombay was given to Charles II, the then British King as dowry of his would – be-Queen, perhaps when Emperor Shahjahan (1628-1658) received an invitation for attending the Royal wedding at far –off London. Such was the prevailing style of magnificence by Emperors during those days.

In 1690, Job Charnock founded the city of Calcutta and built Fort William. Thus in less than a century, the East India Company founded three important ports and settlements in India.

DECLINE OF THE PORTUGUESE IN INDIA AND THEIR EVICTION
Though Vasco de Gama discovered India for trade, the Portuguese mixed conversion into Christianity with trade. Those who objected /opposed to conversion were ill-treated and brutally beaten up. Thus, the Portuguese power could not expand. They were pushed out of India long after Indian Independence by Indian Army in 1961. In fact, they were kicked out gracefully after fifteen years of Indian Independence. All the Portuguese Prisoners of War (POW) were allowed to sail away from India elegantly.

GRANT OF INDEPENDENCE TO INDIA BY BRITAIN
We all know that Britain granted independence to India on 15 August 1947, by creating two Dominions known as India and Pakistan. The cordial atmosphere was so friendly that India joined the British Commonwealth of Nation comprising of Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc.

DEPARTURE OF FRENCH
Learning from the honourable departure of the British, the French also gave up their Chandarnagar (West Bangal) and Pounduchery (now, Puduchery) by around 1949. Whereas Chandarnagar got merged into West Bengal, Puduchuchery is now a Union Territory ruled by Government of India, through a Lieutenant Governor, with a Council of Ministers.

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By Dr. Thamsing Lamkang
It’s important to win if you never make it to the finish line! ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith’ BIBLE.

“To win in life one must reach the finishing line, but it couldn’t be that simple as you thought”. In today’s world many people are trying to reach the finishing line but took the wrong steps. People follow hundreds of different paths in order to find meanings to their lives. People are more lost than ever in the 21st Century. Mankind has created a meaningless culture in its paintings, music, sports and sculpture….much modern art is based on unrecognizable images, abstract forms and deafening sounds.

The men and women of today don’t find meaning in their lives. They can’t fill the hole that exists in their hearts and no amount of art, music, science literature, or other form of communication can fill it. Despite all the advances and new opportunities that we have these days, the percentage of violence, depression, frustration, addictions, rape, killing and even suicide, rises from day to day.

Men and women of today find themselves in a situation in which no-one listens to them, no-one loves them, no-one comforts them…no-one understands them. Humanity is embarked upon a desperate search for intellectual meanings, love beauty, understanding and freedom; and that search will never come to an end because God is the only one who can fill that emptiness-and most people do not want to look to HIM for the solution of the problem.

Charles Olmen, from Haiti, participated in the 10, 000 meter race in the 1976 Montrael Olympics. He was not just the last to finish the race but arrived 1 hour and 14 minutes late after the pen-ultimate runner. Everyone had just about gone home while he was still running.

In the race he was leading but suddenly he got nerve sprained and he fell down. Though he tried to continue but he couldn’t. The other runners ran past him. Now he had no hope of winning the race, but he was determined to finish the race and his challenge was, “I am here to finish the race, and I must complete it.” With that decision he continues to walk, limping slow and steady till the stadium.

But back at the stadium the race was over and the medals were already awarded to the champions. When people were about to leave the stadium, he walked limping inside the stadium. It surprised some people; he went straight and crossed the Finishing Line. There was only one media person to show he finished the race. He asked him, why he didn’t give-up the race. He responded, “Why should I give up, I am not here to easily give up the race, but to finish the race.”

My country didn’t send me to give-up the race but to finished the race, and bring glory and laurel to my country. In the same manner God made us and sent us here to do well, and live an undefeated life till the end. One should always learn to persevere and be consistence so that one can accomplish and achieve the goals of their life. But why is young people today give-up so easily without much trying through Christ, in Christ and with Christ. God didn’t make us to live a defeated life but rather fight back and try to live undefeated life in order to be victorious.

There is no single case in history of someone who finds they have been deceived by trusting in God. When we place Him as our finishing line, we find love, beauty, freedom, so that our existence makes sense on earth.

Where are you going? What efforts are you making to complete the finishing line? Have you ever stopped to think maybe you’re searching in the wrong direction? What about your religion to your believe? There will be so many surprises after death! There will be nothing more terrible than hearing these words from God himself; ‘I never knew you’!

Many people make a mistake to what they believe. You cannot be a Christian for being born and brought-up in Christian family. The same goes to other religions too. When you think about God what does your heart says, and how do you really know he is God? We believe in God because God hears you and you hear God. Do you know him or did he know you? God must be divinely felt and experience in your spiritual life. What does your instinct says to your believing heart in gods?

We cannot be fool by a mere gods or idols made by hands. We shouldn’t make mistakes of worshiping the god choose by our own primitive people, they worshipped god out of compulsion (in olden days).

“I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me. For God so loved the world that whosoever believes in me should not parish but have Everlasting Life” BIBLE.

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