Mennomystic

  One of podcasts I’ve begun listening to as of late is Empire with Anita Anand and William Dalrymple. They explore stories of the history of various empires, historical contexts, impacts on the lives of everyday people, their rise and fall. Most recently I listened to their series on Palestine. Fascinating and horrible.   I am back to the beginning learning about the East India Company, not unlike the Hudson’s Bay Company in Canada, where a corporation takes control of a territory/country to bleed its people and land dry for the benefit of a few shareholders. As the podcasters pointed out, the East India Company (EIC) had no compunction to care about the welfare of the people it controlled. It was this relentless pursuit that caused tremendous amounts of pain and suffering and began the British empire’s government to enter India in droves to establish a semblance of order. India was at the time, in the 1700s, divided by numerous factions that fought against each other. A...