• N VIJAYADHARSHINI
• JAYACHANDRAN

This paper describes the Indian socio-cultural scenario of the nineteenth century and people's dominant beliefs and practices as portrayed in the Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh. The story is largely dictated by two major events-the incidents that led to India's first Opium War and the Golden Triangle Trade China and Britain and the farmers ' tremendous exodus to the British colonies ' farmland. Ghosh has brought to light the social conditions of the time as well as the status of women in a male-dominated society by presenting the history of opium trade and indentured labor in India under colonial rule in the nineteenth century. Women are held in high regard in ancient India. They enjoyed equal status and privileges with men during the Vedic period. During the medieval period, the practices of polygamy, purdha system, dowry and sati degraded the status of women in society. The paper criticizes the traditional Indian forces that in fact are hierarchical, oppressive, and anti-feminist.

Opium war, Vedic period, purdha system, sati, traditional Indian forces.

"CULTURAL BACKGROUND IN AMITAV GHOSH’S SEA OF POPPIES", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no.407-409, June 2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1908525.pdf

"CULTURAL BACKGROUND IN AMITAV GHOSH’S SEA OF POPPIES", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no. pp407-409, June 2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1908525.pdf