... whirlwind of mendicants, elephants, snake charmers and crowds. In New York, British director Peter Brook's nine-hour production of an ancient Hindu epic poem, The Mahabharata, has lately been playing to packed houses and considerable critical praise. Best-selling books like Freedom at Midnight re-create the struggle ... the company gained permission to set up shop in a stinking mudflat in Bengal; it quickly developed into Fort William (Calcutta, now a city of ten million, grew up around it). The India that these British traders came to do business in was a thoroughly bewildering place,...

• Word Count: 5127
• Approx Pages: 21
• Grade Level: Undergraduate