How did roads, rivers, ports and sea routes shape India's history, prosperity and culture? In this fascinating conversation, author Akshay Chavan discusses his book, The Wealth Networks, and explains how geography influenced trade, migration, religion and the rise of great cities across the subcontinent.
From the strategic importance of Strait of Hormuz and the migration of Parsis to India, to the cowrie shell trade with Maldives, the coffee routes of Mocha, the silver flows into Surat, and the opium and tea trade that transformed cities like Mumbai, Chennai and Karachi, this discussion uncovers the economic networks that connected India to the world. The conversation also explores why geography still matters in an age of AI, global trade wars and shifting geopolitical alliances, and what lessons modern India can learn from its past.