The speech of sailor-groups called lascars, derived from a host of ethnicities from the rim of the Indian ocean, is a language of its own, and it is a delightful exercise to try to comprehend what their leader, Serang Ali, says.

Ghosh’s linguistic hubris might have made the book a difficult read for some, but is an absolute delight for me. “The cubber is that the kuzannah is out,” or “Just won’t hoga.” That hoga is ‘happen’ in English is never told. Doughty bespatters his English with a whole host of Hindustani words.

The most interesting bit in the first third of the novel is the speech of characters. At some point in the novel, I hope Ghosh will show a rebellion against the barbarity of these operations. The Ibis is, in origin, a slave-carrying ship. It is doomed to, however, have a ghastly purpose: the transportation of indentured labour to Mauritius. We know that Deeti will play a part in this voyage, though it is difficult to conceive how at this point.Īt the end of Part 1 of Sea of Poppies now, with the cast of characters and their backstories introduced, I’m looking forward to the Ibis’ next voyage. In India, Reid will meet his employer and a whole lot of interesting characters, who will all join on the Ibis for its next voyage. We move on to Zachary Reid, an American aboard the ship named Ibis, which has just dropped anchor ‘where the holy river debouches into the Bay of Bengal.’ The Ibis’ prior journey through the oceans is described, abutting the coast of Patagonia, the turn into the Atlantic, the Cape of Good Hope, a stop-over in Mauritius, and then the Indian Ocean.

Sea of poppies