Malwa

Story

This story is set in early 1800 and deals with the opium trade which was prevalent in those times

Jamshedji is the biggest opium trader in Bombay and in India he stared out small but has grown into wealth and stature he is most prominent Indian in Bombay

Rustom is young lad whose father was once the partner and best friend of Jamshedji

Rustom want to enter the opium trade but Jamshedji has stalled his entry everywhere he has not allowed Rustom to get the license of opium trade that is required

Rustom hates Jamshedji and thinks he killed his father who died on trip to china so that he can have the whole business to himself

Jamshedji has daughter Rehan she is beautiful and independent and in love with Rustom

Rustom also loves Rehan but he never told her he first wants to make name for himself in the opium trade and then would go to Jamshedji for his daughter hand

Rustom meets an American William who has come to India in an old ship which he ahs stolen from his father and now wants to enter the opium trade he ahs license for opium but he needs local man

William and Rustom enter into partnership they buy opium and then transport the same in their ship and make good profit.

Rustom In his enjoyment consumes opium and then slowly consumes more

The opium sold in Bombay is Bengal opium which is grown by the British but malwa opium which is grown in central India is of much better variety and cheap so is flooding the markets and British are not getting good price at their auctions

So British go ahead and impose a steep duty on he import and shipping of malwa opium from Bombay

But Rustom who has now become a prominent opium trader and some other young traders they start buying opium directly and shipping it through Daman which is controlled by the Portuguese

And the British Bengal opium has no takers in china and malwa opium has flooded the Chinese market

British are now desperate they bring in strong an Henry who is shrewd and brutal and his brief is to somehow control the Parsi traders who are trading in malwa opium

Henry meets Jamshedji and offers hi m exclusive rights to all opium auctioned in the city if can control malwa traders

Henry also wants to marry Rehan

British prevail in Portuguese and the port of Daman is closed

But ruato m is not deterred he transports the biggest shipment of malwa opium through land route of sindh himself and cheap malwa opium destroys Bengal opium at the auctions in canton the British shipment is sold at half the price

But Rustom on this trip also comes to know of the devastation this opium is having on the Chinese people and is filled with guilt and how this has destroyed an entire generation of Chinese men

And slowly and slowly he is also becoming addicted to opium

He comes back

Now he is prominent so he proposes to Rehan she accepts but tries to dissuade him from the opium trade

The British wants to hit back at the Parsi traders

So they this time to something drastic

They start shooting dogs saying that they are creating a nuisance in Bombay

The parsi revered dogs and the fist ever animal rights riots break out in Bombay

Thousands of people are put behind bars

Finally an agreement is reached and they are released but malwa opium is also now transported only through British ports

Rustom meets Jamshedji and asks for Rehan hand

They have verbal duel and finally Rustom comes to know that his father as killed by British when he after seeing what opium has done to china tried to burn a shipment

Rustom decides to leave the opium trade but not before he takes his father revenge

Rustom burns the godowm that has the biggest store of opium in British history but is not arrested as Jamshedji vouched far him.

Rustom leaves opium trade and opium and marries Rehan.