The period was early 17th century.... These were the waning years of the Mughal Empire and regional satraps were becoming powerful locally, splintering the Nation into several small Nation states. In a way, it was federalism even before the Americans or the West thought up of the concept. The West had just awakened to their future potential. Trading across seas became an important economic necessity. Many past trading superpowers such as China and India had clamped down on it, unwilling to expose its people to different cultures, ideas and thought. Slowly but surely, the trading companies became powerful economic forces in the countries they set up bases in. Nevertheless, they stayed focussed on business of their own until...... It took 145 years before they took sides in a local conflict. And therein found an opportunity to become even more powerful - by playing up differences among the people, fueling aspirations, leveraging treachery and self-interest of the locals. A tiny country,...