Kochi  :

Cultural anthropologist Bauke Van Der Pol will doing a reading from his book at David Hall, Fort Kochi, today Cultural anthropologist Bauke Van Der Pol will be doing a reading from his book, ‘The Dutch East India Company in India’. This will be held at the David Hall, Fort Kochi, on November 19.

The Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC or commonly known as the Dutch East India Company) is often associated with Indonesia, China and Japan. In India, however, the company covered an area larger than all its other domains in Asia. This period lasted from 1604 to 1795, and therefore Dutch trading relations with India have existed far longer than those with, say, Australia or the United States. And yet most people are unaware of the fact that 17th and 18th century traces of Dutch heritage can be found all along the coast, from Surat to Kolkata.

In this richly illustrated edition, researcher and India specialist Bauke van der Pol presents, for the first time, a comprehensive compendium of VOC heritage in India. He guides the reader through settlements, country houses, warehouses, trading posts and cemeteries featuring unique sepulchral monuments. By referring to old pictures and contemporary photographs he shows what the settlements looked like and what can still be found of them in the India of today. He elaborates on the background to how the Dutch landed in the various regions of India, and explains the details of their relationships with the Indian maharajas and other rulers. Furthermore, he describes the precious commodities that tempted the Dutch to embark on such exotic adventures, and he shows how today’s Indians relate with the traces that these foreigners left behind in their country.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Services nie / November 19th, 2014