Let me tell you a story, the story of a clueless and desperate man who is glorified as a great sailor today. What triggered me? A certain literate illiterates, @ScottMGreer.
Turkish conquest of Constantinople closed the route from Europe to India.
Turkish conquest of Constantinople closed the route from Europe to India.
@ScottMGreer The desperation led to a spate of voyages of exploration to find an alternate route to India. First was Columbus. He didn't have any clue where he reached. He believed it's India. When he returned back in 1493, it's confirmed it's not India. Added to that, no riches were located.
@ScottMGreer This means the game to find route to India is still open. Parallel to this, explorations were happening in the other direction as well - hugging the Africa coast. In 1488, who confirmed that after Cape of Good Hope, the coast turned North East. Next was Vasco da Gama.
@ScottMGreer He duly followed Dias, but slightly out of view of land till he turned at the Cape of Good Hope. He stopped for the first time at Mozambique where he encountered Muslims for the first time. Probably, the incident of meeting the king of Mozambique changed him completely.
@ScottMGreer Masquerading as Muslims, they met the king but their cheap wares had nothing worth to gift the king(about them later). With people getting doubtful of their attitude and mannerism, they made an escape started high sea piracy near Mombassa.
@ScottMGreer Was it because nothing he has is worthy of being gifted and stung, decided to find some thing rich, even if it means piracy? Or is it his way of life? Next stop was Malindi. In fact, it will be foolish to say da Gama didn't know India was somewhere near.
@ScottMGreer The truth is far different - stuck on the African coast, fully knowing proceeding further means reaching Ottoman Empire and clueless how to go to India(Europeans didn't understand the concept of longitude. They can only go up and down, not left and right),
@ScottMGreer he was desperately waiting for some help. The help came in the shape of a Gujarati trader who allowed them to follow him to Calicut. Finally he reaches Calicut. How does he make a landfall? In a boat armed to the teeth. 
@ScottMGreer Can someone explain why a sailor who is representing his country on a peace embassy is armed to the teeth and is blaring horns to notify the people? And then, while he is given a palanquin, all his men were forced to walk all 20 km. Think about it.
@ScottMGreer In Kerala heat, you dressed in your finest and are forced to walk that long. Remember, Calicut is one of the main ports in Indian Ocean trading system and it's impossible Calicut didn't know of it's Mombassa antics. The Kotwal then takes him to a temple, nah, he forces him to
@ScottMGreer stop and pray at a temple. Did he really believe it's a church? And it's not as if Calicut didn't know of the Portuguese. On the fall of Granada, Jews fled everywhere, including Calicut and the news of the brutalities would have reached Calicut long before da Gama.
@ScottMGreer And...he reaches Calicut. And clearly, that small city according to Indian standards, it's much bigger than Lisbon and many other great cities of Europe. To make sense of the scale, Sri Krishna Devaraya's camp at Raichur had more people than the total population of Portugal.
@ScottMGreer By the way, he had no clue where he is, and what time it is. He reached Calicut in May and he believed it's winter. Looks like he didn't know he crossed equator again to reach India.
@ScottMGreer Indians don't touch anyone, especially those foreigners whose fame is far too famous. Does that mean da Gama is lying here or was he received by a lowly, fit to his stature?
@ScottMGreer They were taken to the presence of the king. How does the king treat them? Like playthings or some animals brought to entertain him. Do anyone remember of the story of the Afghan who was paraded on a donkey - the Afghan goes to a sweet shop and points a finger at a sweet.
@ScottMGreer The shop owner says, Khaja. He believes he asked him to eat it and eats it. When he is asked to pay up, he is clueless. The shopkeeper takes him to authorities, who decide he is a thief, tonsure him and parade him in the village. He goes back home. People ask him, how is India.
@ScottMGreer He says, Indians are very good. I was hungry and a shopkeeper gave me sweets to eat for free, then, they gave me a bath, a nice hair cut and gave me a free tour of the village before sending me back. My feeling, either da Gama knew he is insulted or he is clueless what happened.
@ScottMGreer Looks like he didn't understand. Because, immediately after, he said, he didn't come for an audience, he came as an ambassador and wanted to present his credentials.
@ScottMGreer Then, he decides to present gifts to the Zamorin. What are they? Cloaks, hats, coral four capotas or cloaks of scarlet cloth, six hats, four branches of coral, some brass vessels, sugar(luckily it's not pepper or cardamom), oil and honey. The official dealing with him erupted
@ScottMGreer laughing saying forget the king, the junk you brought won't be taken be any merchant in Calicut. Rather, he said, I doubt if you are an ambassador - either you aren't an ambassador or your king wasn't confident you will never reach here(how did he the Calicut official know this?)
@ScottMGreer Poor da Gama. How can he even understand, the riches of his country are nothing more than roadside junk which no one will touch, in this country? In the meanwhile, the Zamorin understood he is not worth the time and gave him an audience after a few days -
@ScottMGreer either give me the statue of Mary you have in your ship or don't waste time here. Meaning the king knew of their so-called presents. He also knew how long it will take for them to return with better presents. What’s the use of the mission, then?
@ScottMGreer Then da Gama presents his credentials. What would have happened is exactly opposite as further events show. How did he know what the Moor who translated his Arabic letter(a language he doesn't know) into Malayalam, a language he never would have dreamt existed, said to the king?
@ScottMGreer Scared, da Gama wanted to go to his ships. The Kotwal asked to wait till the morning. Why is he scared?
@ScottMGreer And why is he desperate to leave?
@ScottMGreer The paranoia continues. The Moors had the full weight of Ottomans behind them. Why exactly would they plan for a murder rather than sending a flotilla against him, if he is really that dangerous?
@ScottMGreer Now, da Gama is a hostage.
@ScottMGreer Again, he runs to the Zamorin. Does the Zamorin has no other work than entertaining a loser who can't even sell his wares in the market(reflecting upon his capabilities as a salesman and the quality of his goods)?
@ScottMGreer May be, the king felt some pity and sent some traders? Even so, if there is nothing worth buying, what can the Zamorin even do?
@ScottMGreer Here, there is a confirmation. He has nothing worth selling.
@ScottMGreer Now, it looks like da Gama decided to become a pirate again. Why would the king offer him something such costly, just for the sake of friendship with a foreign nobody? He asked them to pay the berthing charges and make a move.
@ScottMGreer Does this mean the pirates of Mombassa were finally located?
@ScottMGreer And the pirate lord in his full glory. Hold people for ransom and demand return of his people so that he can scoot off without paying.
@ScottMGreer And...he fires some cannon and runs away without paying money and with prisoners, whom, obviously, he would have killed.
@ScottMGreer That in synopsis is da Gama's first visit to India. He starts as a clueless not knowing where to go and what to do, passes time with high seas piracy, begs an Indian to take him to India, gifts some junk to the king and because the king refused his junk, he runs away after taking
@ScottMGreer some hostages. Meaning, da Gama's acts have already set the terms between Indians and the Europeans - and the devastating impact their trade is going to have on Indian Ocean shipping. The next Portuguese is equally damning, and the third one is open war - the course is charted.
