Age of Pandemics: Chinmay Tumbe

 

The Great Divide.. is the term used to denote the only time in the census history of India where there was negative growth in the population of India. How did it happen? With a warm climate, assured seasonal rains, perennial rivers, resources India has always been a suitable for a large population to settle and grow. To say it precisely, India and Asia have always been a home for more than a fifth or sixth of humankind on the Earth. However, the fact remains that despite of having a large population it had always been stable with continuous wars, famines caused due to droughts, and pandemics. There have been incidences of epidemics, pandemics in India since ancient times but the century from 1817 to 1920 has changed the course of history. These around 103 years led to the Great Divide, forever changes in almost all the sectors of life. The Age of Pandemics, a professor at prestigious IIM-A and author Chinmay Tumbe has termed these years and elaborated it. 

The book begins with the origin of the pandemic and goes on elaborating about global pandemics in ancient and medieval periods including India. The court accounts of Mughal emperors fighting wars in different parts of India, Invaders like Nadir Shah and Ahmedshah Abdali, and diaries, reports of officers of British East India company have provided considerable shreds of evidences of epidemics and pandemics. It is interesting to read first devastating pandemic was recorded in Egypt in 542 BCE. According to the symptoms recorded it proves that it was the plague. Further, the author elaborates on various pandemics across the globe including Plague and other pandemics that created havoc. Wiped out 10-20 percent of populations in various countries. 

The book covers three important diseases that resulted in devastating pandemics for India in the age of pandemics. Cholera, the water-borne disease caused due to bacteria claimed millions of lives in various parts of India. The period dealt with here was politically unstable in India. British East India Company was on the verge of becoming prominent power in India defeating Maratha powers. Troop movement, camps near water bodies erupted huge epidemics. Various European scientists and doctors started studying the factors causing the disease. With the advent of medicines and methods to cure the disease, the mortality due to it came down drastically. However, it is worthy to mention that Indians were hesitant to adopt modern medicines. Europeans, Parsis adopted modern medicines and vaccines. The result was clear when in certain outbreaks mortality rate among Europeans and Parsis was 5-6 percent of infected while average of 20 percent of Indians succumbed to the epidemic. 

Kumbh Mela at Prayag (Pic from Internet)

There are some interesting things to notice regarding Cholera pandemics and their spread across the World. During the 1850s and 60s extensive studies were carried out to find out the reasons, cure for the disease. After studying carefully many experts came to the conclusion that it has its origin in India. It has spread across the world with Indian soldiers, British officers in EIC, and ships sailing from India. In 1860, a sanitation conference was held where according to a report the Yatra at Puri was held responsible for the Cholera outbreak. Another major source of cholera epidemics to spread was identified to be the Kumbh Mela's held every 12 years at Prayag (then Allahabad), Nashik, Ujjain, and Haridwar. There are recorded documents of people returning from Haridwar with 'holy' Gangajal and cholera in northern India. In the Arabian peninsula and Africa it was the Hajj pilgrim that was identified as a prime factor being the spread of the pandemic. Apart from water, clothes were also identified as a factor for the spread of disease. In India, a practice of Muslim pilgrims to gift their unwashed clothes to relatives after returning as a gift from the almighty. 

The pandemic due to Plague in 15th century Europe is well known. In India, there have been Plague epidemics in various parts at various times. Among which the pandemic of 1896-97 was most devastating. The British presidencies of Bombay, United Provinces, and Punjab bore the maximum brunt of it. Princely states of Hyderabad and Mysore saw major outbreaks. To curb the epidemic, the British Indian government passed the 'Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897' which gives immense powers to the state machinery to inspect, search, take criminal actions. It is worthy to note the Union and state governments have imposed this very act with necessary modifications to act on the COVID pandemic. 

Inspection of Residential Areas in Mumbai. (Pic from Internet)

There are many things to take into account about this particular pandemic. This pandemic initially struck the cities of Mumbai (then Bombay), Pune hard. As a quarantine measures people living in cities went to live in farms, villages. However, there are stories of horrors faced by patients and common people in these cities set up outside the city limits. Laxmibai Tilak's autobiography 'Smritichitre' notes these horrors in detail. The author has quoted some lines in the book. It is interesting to note Laxmibai Tilak experienced the Influenza pandemic of 1918-19 or the commonly known as Spanish Flu now (The author strongly objects to call it Spanish Flu. He argues that if it has to identify with the certain geographical area then it has to American Flu..), and horrors of quarantine centers then also. 

The Influenza pandemic of 1918-20 is a very interesting and important chapter to read. It has so many striking similarities with what we are facing now. It claimed more than 40 million Indians within a short span of few months. The horrors of the pandemic exacerbated due to the successive failures of monsoons. Which caused famines. Lack of food due to famines led to undernourishment which led to more infections and mortality. It is interesting to note that despite of so much devastation there are no detailed accounts of medical studies, mortality rates, segregation of deaths, etc. the reason behind this lack of data is political instability (as per British records). These were the years of the end of the Great War, Indian soldiers returning from war fronts, Rowlatt Act, Jalianwala Bagh massacre, Non-Cooperation movement. 

Hospital during 1918-20 Pandemic. (pic from Internet)

There have been lasting impacts of the Age of Pandemics on India. As the subheading of the book suggests it shaped India and the World. The very first but kind of short impact pandemics cause is the rise in Migration. Often short term but sometimes permanent also. The pandemics of the Plague brought changes to town planning. People tended to relocate to areas around the cities, resulting in the rise of suburbs. The author cites examples of advanced town planning, sanitation networks in Sindhu-Saraswati civilization cities. He has also quoted verses from Chanakya's 'Arthshastra' on town planning, sanitation, use of water resources, management of epidemics, etc. It is evident that India and the world also have not learned anything from history. Otherwise, the havoc created by the COVID pandemic could have been averted. 

The pandemics hit the urban centers hard than rural areas. Laborers migrated to cities to seek jobs returned to villages. The Sudden availability of labor resulted in a rapid rise of cooperatives. However, in 1918-19 people returned to villages but of no use. The predominantly agriculture-based economy could add value and nutrition due to the failure of the monsoon. On the other hand in 2020, despite lockdowns it was agriculture allied sector only that witnessed a positive growth rate in production and in exports. The labor in cities got more bargaining power to seek more wages. Participation of women in the workforce rose rapidly. 

The Age of Pandemics from 1817 to 1920 shaped India and the World. However, it is evident that India and the World have not learned from these past experiences of pandemics. The author strongly suggests adding the medical history in the syllabus of medical courses in India. There are fascinating insights on social aspects, research in medicines, vaccines to curb the pandemics. This book has been on market for a year almost now. It is better late than never to read this fascinating book to learn about history, to analyze the present, and be ready for the future.