Perhaps, if Deeti had a voice to choose her husband she would not have definitely selected an opium addict. Although opium possesses some therapeutic properties, obsession with it can be detrimental because of the potential of harmfully impacting marriage. I would have died of pain, long ago.” Hukam Singh is absolutely dependent on the opium due to its sedating capacity hence, equating it to his premier wife is an indicator that his connubial to Deeti would not separate him from the opium. She's kept me alive since I was wounded: if it weren't for her I would not be here today. Hukam Singh is an archetypal opium enthusiast for he tells Deeti on their foremost night: “You should know that this is my first wife. The sahibs enrich themselves from the poppies to the detriment of the poor farmers. Despite the extraordinary market value of the poppies, they do not mend the farmer’s housing situations because poppies can neither be consumed as food nor be used in hut repairs. The poppies divert time and resources from wheat which is utilized in thatching the roofs. But now, with the sahibs forcing everyone to grow poppy, no one had thatch to spare –'The hut’s condition is not impressive because it has not been repaired. The hut's roof was urgently in need of repairs, but in this age of flowers, thatch was not easy to come by: in the old days, the fields would be heavy with wheat in the winter, and after the spring harvest, the straw would be used to repair the damage of the year before. The status of Deeti’s hut is emblematic of the opportunity costs of Opium farming: “She stopped to glance in the direction of their hut, which was just visible in the distance: it looked like a tiny raft, floating upon a river of poppies. Written by people who wish to remain anonymous We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.

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Sea of poppies author