Contents

Dedication....................................................................................................... 3
Benedictory Note.......................................................................................... 11
About Bharath Gyan...................................................................................... 13
About the Authors......................................................................................... 15
About Autobiography of India...................................................................... 19
Preface........................................................................................................... 21
Made in India...........................................................................................................................22

Acknowledgements....................................................................................... 25

Part 1 - Once Upon A Time – A Golden Age

Bharat, A Brand of Splendour For Millennia................................................ 29
Olden Golden Days - 5100 Years Ago and Before ........................................ 31
A Land of Prosperity...............................................................................................................31
Prosperous Merchants............................................................................................................32
Measure of Wealth...................................................................................................................32
Golden Olden Days................................................................................................................34

Highest Degree of Prosperity 300 BCE ........................................................ 35

Greek Statement, English Affirmation................................................................................35
Greek Records of 300 BCE...................................................................................................36

What Hiuen Tsang Sang in 600 CE................................................................ 37

Records from the East............................................................................................................37
Corroborations on Ground Today......................................................................................40

Contents 5
 Endowed with Wealth and Knowledge...............................................................................42

The Ruthless Plunders from 1000 CE........................................................... 43

Attracting Plunderers and Marauders.................................................................................43
Description of Mathura and Raid on Mathura..................................................................44
Wealth of Delhi........................................................................................................................46
Noteworthy..............................................................................................................................46

A Brand Worth Millions in 1200 CE............................................................. 47

A Land of Millions Image......................................................................................................47
Prosperity Beyond Belief.......................................................................................................48

India Before the British Rule in 1600 CE..................................................... 49

World’s Richest, Most Urbanized Country........................................................................49
Land of Abundance.................................................................................................................50
Richer Than Egypt..................................................................................................................50
Plenty were in Plenty..............................................................................................................51
Golden Age Under the Mahratta .........................................................................................52

Charting India’s Progress in 1980s............................................................... 53

A Stirring Remark...................................................................................................................53
The Stunning Report About India.......................................................................................53
Further Independent Affirmation........................................................................................60
Consistent Performance Over More Than 2 Millennia...................................................60
Softly Wielding Power............................................................................................................62

Part 2 - Bharat – A Brand

Brand Bharat.................................................................................................. 65
Brand India.................................................................................................... 67
King of Wisdom............................................................................................. 71
Jawabe Hind – The Cutting Edge of India...................................................... 73
Hindsa – Strength in Indian Numbers.......................................................... 75
Al Hend – Precious India............................................................................... 79
Hindus and Hindustan.................................................................................. 81
Hindian......................................................................................................................................81
Hinduan....................................................................................................................................81
Hindu, Hinduism Came To Be.............................................................................................82
Hindustan.................................................................................................................................83

Europe’s Tryst With India.............................................................................. 85

Arabs, the Face of India to Europe.......................................................................................85
Europe’s Direct Contact With India....................................................................................85
From Trade to Raid.................................................................................................................91

6 Brand Bharat - Made In India

 Part 3 - Made In India
Wootz Steel.................................................................................................... 95
Wootz - New Name, But Old Steel......................................................................................95
Popularity of Indian Wootz Steel.........................................................................................97

Old Was Not Gold But Steel........................................................................ 109

Old Town With A Steely Past....................................................................... 111
Kodumanal – Old Town, New Finds..................................................................................111
A Mature Town, A Mature Industry....................................................................................112
Corroborating Steel................................................................................................................113
Ideally Located.........................................................................................................................113
Large Sized................................................................................................................................115
Richly Endowed......................................................................................................................116
A Connect, Strong as Steel ...................................................................................................116

Monopoly – The Secret in Tutty ................................................................. 121

Cotton and Textiles...................................................................................... 127
0100 BCE – Attractive Indian Cotton................................................................................127
1300s CE – Covered with Indian Cotton Shawl...............................................................129

1580s CE – Addiction to Indian Cotton...................................................... 133

1680s – Still Unable to Desist Indian Cotton....................................................................134
1800s – Preferred by the East Too.......................................................................................135
1980s – Still weaving its magic over the World.................................................................136
Caught up with Cotton..........................................................................................................136
Discovery of Cotton...............................................................................................................136
First to Grow Cotton..............................................................................................................137
Herodotus on Cotton, in Historia.......................................................................................137
World’s Earliest Cotton..........................................................................................................139
Cotton Country.......................................................................................................................142
The Cotton Brand....................................................................................................................146

Indigo – The Royal Blue.............................................................................. 147

Indigo – That which came from India.................................................................................148
Stages in the Indigo Extraction Process..............................................................................149
A Simple Process But Compounded Results.....................................................................154
First Chemical Synthesis.......................................................................................................155

Mad after Madder – The Red Dye................................................................ 159

Anti Bacterial............................................................................................................................160
Red Coat...................................................................................................................................161
The Dying Red Dye Slaves....................................................................................................162

Coromandel Red or Colcothar.................................................................... 167

Colcothar From Kolkotta......................................................................................................168

Contents 7
 Colours and Dyes........................................................................................ 171
Land of Colours.......................................................................................................................171
Festival of Colours..................................................................................................................171

Obsessed with Incense................................................................................ 181

Agarbatti – India’s Obsession With Incense.....................................................................183
Many A Intrigue Surrounding Oud.....................................................................................184

Curry – A Hot Brand of India...................................................................... 187

Curry to the West....................................................................................................................188
Curry to the East.....................................................................................................................188
Curry from the South.............................................................................................................190
Curry, The Hot Brand of India..............................................................................................190

Cheroot........................................................................................................ 191
Rolling times with Suruttu....................................................................................................191
Dindy Cheroot.........................................................................................................................192
Ode to Cheroot.......................................................................................................................192
Top Prizes.................................................................................................................................192
A Fiery Style ............................................................................................................................193

Diamonds, A Forever Brand........................................................................ 195

No Diamonds in Europe During 1st Century CE............................................................195
Pearls Precious Till 1600s......................................................................................................198
Precious Diamonds.................................................................................................................198
Heera Panna.............................................................................................................................199
Journey of Diamonds to Europe..........................................................................................200
Diamonds Outshine All.........................................................................................................202
Diamond, Vajra - Hard Core Wealth ..................................................................................202
The Golcondas.........................................................................................................................205
Golconda – Source of Wealth...............................................................................................207
Carat from Ratti-The Small Measure...................................................................................207
The Big Stones of India..........................................................................................................209
Plunder of Diamonds.............................................................................................................209
Travel of The Regent...............................................................................................................211
Koh-i-Noor – Ruling the Destiny of Rulers.......................................................................212
India’s Adamant Diamonds In Greek Records Too..........................................................214
Diamonds Used In India From Who Knows When........................................................216
Formalized Diamond Trade In India...................................................................................219
A Crystal Clear Evidence Of An Advanced Civilization.................................................220
Dazzled by Diamonds............................................................................................................221
Diamond, an offering of India...............................................................................................221
Diamonds Are Forever – An Indian Brand........................................................................222

Just a Spoon Full Of Sugar........................................................................... 223

India’s Sugarcane History......................................................................................................224
Farming Sugarcane with a Brand.........................................................................................233
Crystalizing India’s Sugar History........................................................................................233

8 Brand Bharat - Made In India

 Extracting the Sugar From the Cane...................................................................................242
India’s Long Link With This Cane.......................................................................................243
Home of Sugarcane Acknowledged.....................................................................................245
From Sweet Salt to Sugar.......................................................................................................247
Condensed Story of The Sugar Crystal...............................................................................249

Baharat – Old Spice..................................................................................... 251

Bharat – The Spice Land........................................................................................................251
Turkey – World’s Exchange Node........................................................................................251
Turkey – The Gateway to Spice............................................................................................253
India – Hot and Spicy ............................................................................................................254
History of Spices......................................................................................................................259
Common Man’s Common Spices in India.........................................................................260
Dhaniya, Coriander ...............................................................................................................261
Jeera, Cumin.............................................................................................................................265
Saunf, Fennel............................................................................................................................266
Methi, Fenugreek....................................................................................................................268
Adrak, Ginger...........................................................................................................................270
Haldi, Turmeric.......................................................................................................................272
Spicy Names, Juicy Brains.....................................................................................................276
Spices – Food and Medicine ................................................................................................277

Indian Trade and Navigation....................................................................... 279

Trade Facts and Artifacts.......................................................................................................279
Indian Ship Sizes......................................................................................................................280
Archaeological Ratifications.................................................................................................283
Lothal – A Model Port...........................................................................................................284
Dwaraka – a Gateway of India..............................................................................................284
Unparalleled Indian Sea Farers.............................................................................................286
India’s Naval Activity..............................................................................................................289

Exporting Ships Besides Exporting Using Ships........................................ 291

Trade and Navigation.............................................................................................................291
Navigation and Shipbuilding................................................................................................291
The British Naval Advantage.................................................................................................292
Seaworthy and Noteworthy Indian ships...........................................................................293
Indian Ship Yards – Excelling by all yardsticks..................................................................295
Indian Craftsmanship in Ship Building...............................................................................300
Growth of Sea Power..............................................................................................................301
Power Behind Sea Power.......................................................................................................302
Sea Battles from 1600s...........................................................................................................302
Masterstroke of the British....................................................................................................303
The Great Indian Advantage.................................................................................................305
Indian Naval Prowess – A Double Edged Sword for India..............................................306
Four IS Formidable.................................................................................................................307
America or India? – Not a Hard Choice.............................................................................308

Indian Ships Steered World History........................................................... 309

Contents 9
 HMS Drake..............................................................................................................................309
HMS Minden...........................................................................................................................310
HMS Cornwallis......................................................................................................................316
Seaworthy and Noteworthy..................................................................................................317
The East Indiamen – Who or What Were They?..............................................................317
A Sound Course?.....................................................................................................................320
Shipping, The Flagship Brand of Bharat.............................................................................322

Part 4 - The Winds Of Change

History of Shipping, Ship building and Trade............................................ 325
A 5000 year old Indian Practice............................................................................................326
A Towering Similarity.............................................................................................................329
Dhows from India – Lifeline of Arabia...............................................................................330
The Changeover from Need to Greed.................................................................................332

Lordship for Britain.................................................................................... 335

Indian Shipping - Better for the British...............................................................................335
A Windfall For Britain............................................................................................................335
Necessity – The Mother Of Inventions...............................................................................336
Capital – The Nourisher of Inventions...............................................................................336
A Game Changing Era............................................................................................................337
Indian Sea Power - The Anchor for British Naval Power.................................................338

Hardship for Indians................................................................................... 339

Mariners Destroyed................................................................................................................341
Yards Destroyed.......................................................................................................................341
Industry Destroyed.................................................................................................................341
Deliberate Destruction...........................................................................................................342
The Indian Sea Scape..............................................................................................................342
Elegy on the Death of Indian Shipping Industry..............................................................343

Revival of Indian Shipping.......................................................................... 345

Many Ripples...........................................................................................................................345
The First Wave..........................................................................................................................346
The Wave of Success...............................................................................................................348
Courage, Enterprise and Forethought................................................................................350
Wave After Wave Of Indian Shipping Industry.................................................................351

Direction from Bharat................................................................................. 353

Sea the Route to India’s Prosperity......................................................................................353
Trade Secrets............................................................................................................................354
A Brand Leader........................................................................................................................355

Epilogue....................................................................................................... 357

10 Brand Bharat - Made In India