Opium, Chai & Trees of Mumbai

This is a story about the origins of modern Bombay as shaped by tree botanicals: Teak wood, Opium, and chai.

Amongst the many botanicals with a violent human history, one that caused the most upheaval in India was not a narcotic. It was chai. Despite having no addiction forming behaviour, the violence committed in the name of caffeine is only matched by other narcotics.

To acquire tea, British peddled opium into China, and smuggled it using ships of India teak.

This walk is a two track narrative switching between the Bombay’s opium trade history and the role trees have enabled in spreading trade, religion and war through ships.

It is believed trees are immobile, yet they manage to lure humans into carrying them across continents in ships. Through ships trees have gained global mobility in geography and society whose position now remains rooted in human hierarchy. Owing to this spread we see some trees have access to more land and water than most humans, almost like idols of gods.

These walks are one of many designed to erase tree blindness and introduce Mumbai's tree diversity.