In the mid-19th century, the British Raj built one of the most extraordinary structures in colonial history: a 2,300-mile-long hedge of thorny bushes, stretching from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. This wasn't for defense or agriculture—it was a customs barrier designed to enforce the hated salt tax. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the origins of the Inland Customs Line, the army of guards who patrolled it, the smugglers who challenged it, and the human cost of a policy that trapped millions in poverty. They discuss how the hedge was built and maintained, why it was abolished in 1879, and what its legacy tells us about the British Empire's obsession with control. Along the way, they touch on the salt tax's role in India's independence movement, from Gandhi's Dandi March to the broader fight against colonial extraction. A story of bureaucracy, botany, and brutality—hidden in plain sight.
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