Option a is the correct answer. Akbar and Elizabeth I were contemporaries, but they never met or communicated with each other directly. However, they had some indirect contacts and influences through trade and diplomacy. Akbar was interested in expanding his trade with Europe, especially in spices, textiles, and indigo. He granted trading rights to various European companies, such as the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the English. The English East India Company was established in 1600 with a royal charter from Elizabeth I, granting it the sole right to trade with the East. The first English ships arrived in India in 1608, during the last years of Akbar's reign. They were received by Akbar's son and successor Jahangir, who allowed them to establish a factory at Surat.