In 1497 the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama set out on a sea voyage. His aim was to discover the sea route to India.

As he sailed on, Vasco da Gama reached the banks of the Coliman river in Mozambique, Africa, where scurvy broke out on his ship. He had to wait there for a month. Then, after sailing for 23 days straight, they reached the west coast of India. On 20 May 1498, Vasco da Gama's ship arrived at the port of Calicut.

Vasco da Gama wanted to sign a trade agreement but failed because of the activities of Arab merchants. Still, he succeeded in his main aim: he had discovered the sea route to India. He went on two more expeditions to India, and the brave navigator died in India, at the port of Cochin, in 1524.

It was this discovery that began trade between Europe and India. Using this sea route, European merchants started coming to India and setting up settlements. One after another came merchants from Spain, France, Holland and England, and a new chapter of history began.

Source: Shykh Seraj. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.