It is ironic that at the same time William Dalrymple is doing his book promotions of The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire, another book that talks of the Dutch East India Company has made its way to bookstores. This is the female personification of the Amsterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC) seated on a throne. With great surprise I found that the history of the East India Company is hugely controversial. There was a time when 40% of the revenue of the Dutch East India Company from all of Asia came from Bengal alone. Also, the British took over many of the positions of the Dutch, so the British history became an overlay on the Dutch history.

Source: The Hindu October 21, 2019 09:00 UTC