Dispatches from Kolkata Rubber, an Indispensable Substance.
Dec 3, 2025
Vidya Rajan, an academic and author specializing in rubber's history, shares her insights on the fascinating world of this indispensable substance. She discusses ancient civilizations' use of rubber, including Olmec innovations that improved its durability. The conversation also covers the brutal colonial exploitation-driven rubber trade, the rivalry between Goodyear and Hancock, and the intriguing quest for sustainable alternatives, like using dandelions for rubber production. Rajan's expert commentary illuminates rubber's complex legacy and its future.
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Cross-Cultural Language Mix-Up
- Sandip Roy recounts asking for a 'rubber' as a new immigrant student and causing classroom snickering.
- In India 'rubber' means eraser, while in America it means condom, highlighting a culture gap.
Hevea Is The High-Quality Source
- Vidya Rajan explains that many plants produce latex but only Hevea brasiliensis yields high-quality commercial rubber.
- Hevea brasiliensis is native to Brazil and remains the primary source for durable rubber products.
Ancient Rubber Innovations
- Sandip Roy describes ancient Mesoamerican use of rubber, including bouncing balls seen by Christopher Columbus.
- The Olmecs developed methods to make rubber less brittle using local plant juices like Ipomoea alba.
