I did not know what Mr. Vithal Rajan of Hyderabad has to say:
"A Case for Opium Dens:
Indian industry got its first tranche of capital accumulation in the 19th century when the Tatas joined hands with the Sassoons and the British to force opium onto the Chinese. The addicts in China in that period took to opium to drown their unpleasant reality in momentary dreams, while knowing in moments of cold assessment that pipe dreams could never be realised in real life. It was only when Mao Zedong came to power in 1949 that the Chinese government banned opium dens, and people accepted their closure in the expectation that they might have a chance of achieving some of their hopes..."
(EPW, May 1-7 2010)
I didn't know Tatas' and Sassoons' 'opium' past!
Now that I know it and also that Tata brand now stands for purity as in "Tata Swach", I wish to reword the caption of the cartoon below.
"Could you point out any opium dens- preferably run by Tatas as I am very fussy about the quality of my opium?"
Artist: Leonard Dove, The New Yorker, 26 Feb 1949