Amit's Blog

The Opium Magnates of Bombay: Wealth, British Collusion, and Moral Hypocrisy In 19th-century Bombay, Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, Byramjee Jeejeebhoy, the Parsi merchant community, Cowasjee Davar, Khatri and Marwari traders, and the early Tata family built colossal fortunes through the opium trade. Partnering with the British Empire, they exported opium to China, fueling addiction and economic ruin while reaping profits that transformed Bombay into a global hub. Their sophisticated operations, from private fleets to smuggling networks, were enabled by British naval protection and trade treaties, ensuring mutual gains. Their philanthropy—hospitals, temples, schools—masked the moral cost of their wealth, a stark hypocrisy given China’s devastation and India’s exploited farmers. By the 20th century, most faded, except the Tatas and Marwaris, who pivoted to industry. Their legacy—landmarks, institutions, archives—reflects ambition, British complicity, and ethical failure, a cautionary tale ...

The Sassoon Empire: Opium, Ambition, and the Mask of Morality   The Sassoon family, Baghdadi Jewish merchants dubbed the “Rothschilds of the East,” transformed from refugees to global tycoons in the 19th century. Fleeing persecution, David Sassoon settled in Bombay in 1832, building a colossal empire through the opium trade, shipping, and textiles. Their sophisticated opium operations, leveraging a private fleet and British alliances, dominated 70% of the India-China market, amassing immense wealth. Yet, their trade fueled Chinese addiction and economic ruin, revealing a stark ethical ambivalence. While funding synagogues, schools, and hospitals, their philanthropy masked the moral cost of their profits. In Bombay, they scaled the social hierarchy, but their decline by the 1930s—due to poor decisions, asset losses, and aristocratic distractions—left only scattered descendants like James Sassoon. Their legacy, preserved in archives and landmarks, reflects a complex tale of ambit...