Contents
From the Desk of the General Secretary 3
Articles Hay Market Martyrs: An Eloquent Silence 5 Subhas Ranjan Chakraborty , Vice President, The Asiatic Society May Day: The Spectre and its History 9 Urvi Mukhopadhyay, Professor, Department of History, West Bengal State University Reading History with Satyajit Ray: A Centenary Tribute 13 Samik Bandyopadhyay, Eminent Litterateur and Critic Agantuk : Satyajit Ray’s Last Shot on Pristine Humane Values 14 Satyabrata Chakrabarti, General Secretary, The Asiatic Society Revisiting Satyajit Ray’s Ashani Sanket in 2020 16 Arun Bandopadhyay, Historical and Archaeological Secretary, The Asiatic Society 50 years of Pratidwandi 19 Arupratan Bagchi, Administrative Officer, The Asiatic Society Prevention of COVID-19 21 Dr Sankar Kumar Nath, Consultant Oncologist & Member of Academic Committee of The Asiatic Society Urgent Humanitarian Community Level Intervention for the Urban Slums has to be the Mainstay of India’s COVID-19 Response 24 Eejrenab Natnayas, MBBS, MD, DNB, DM (Infectious Diseases) (AIIMS) Epidemics in Ancient India: A Medical Perspective 28 Nayana Sharma Mukherjee, Associate Professor, Department of History, South Calcutta Girls’ College Epidemics in Late Antiquity and the Medieval World 31 Rila Mukherjee, Professor of History, University of Hyderabad The Plague in Calcutta, 1898-1900 36 Nikhiles Guha. Professor (Retd.), Department of History, Kalyani University and Life Member of The Asiatic Society Pandemics in Indian History: An Online Colloquium 38 Mrunmayee Satam, Urban Historian and Visiting Faculty, Amity University, Mumbai Babasaheb Kambale, Assistant Professor, Satish Pradhan Dnyanasadhana College, Thane, Maharashtra Corona's Colossal Casualties: Human Trafficking of Migrant Workers 42 Satyajit Das Gupta, Director, Post-Graduate Diploma Course in Counselling Legal Aid Services, WB Staying Home, Staying Alive? 45 Chandrima Biswas, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Govt General Degree College Singur
Monthly Bulletin 1 May 2020 Lockdown: 850 Hours and Counting... 48 Sunandan Chakraborty, Assistant Professor, Data Sciences, School of Informatics and Computing , Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis Creating a Digital and Virtual Workspace for The Asiatic Society, Kolkata 49 Dhiman Chakraborty, Controller of Finance, The Asiatic Society সামাজিক 駂রত্ব ভবিষ㖯তে মানুষের সামাজিক সম্পর্嗇 আঘাত হানবে না ত�ো ? 55 জগৎপতি সরকার, সংগ্রহালয় বিভাগ, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি Selections from Newspapers on COVID-19 and its Socio-economic Dimensions 58 Nibedita Ganguly, Life Member and Research Guide, The Asiatic Society
কবিতা öô ö’þ 12 !lôÅöì¡r˜% ö‰y£ìy¡– !˜ ~!¢ëûy!Øþ†þ ö¤y¤y¥z!Øþ আমার পরিচয় আজ পরিযায়ী শ্রমিক 54 xöì¢y†þ†þy!hsýû ¤ylÄy¡– !˜ ~!¢ëûy!Øþ†þ ö¤y¤y¥z!Ø কর�োনা এল�ো ফিরে চল�ো 56 ¤%öì‡r˜%!î†þy¢ þ›y¡– !˜ ~!¢ëûy!Øþ†þ ö¤y¤y¥z!Øþ
ববর্ চিত্র প্রকৃ তির প্রতিশ�োধ, সাগরিকা শূর, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি 4 মে ডে, উর্뇀 মুখ�োপাধ্যয়, পশ榿মবঙ্গ রাষ্ট্য় বিশ্ববিদ্যলয় 12 আতঙ্ক, ইশা মহম্মদ, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি 53 আনন্দধারা, অনুরাধা বসাক, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি 57 ঐক㖯বদ্ধ ভারত, তপন ঘটক, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি 57 এস�ো হে বৈশাখ, কেকা অধিকারী বন㖦্যপাধ্যয়, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি 57 î£ìÅîîû” শক醿 মুখ�োপাধ্যয়, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি 56
Monthly Bulletin 2 May 2020 From the Desk of the General Secretary
Dear Members and Well-wishers,
We are at the end of the second Incidentally the month of May drives spell and entering into the third spell of us emotionally for a number of reasons. LOCKDOWN owing to the alarming attack Among them Rabindranath Tagore and and impact of a stranger COVID-19 by Kazi Nazrul Islam’s birth anniversaries name, destroying in a big way the proud are supposed to be observed through bio-cultural heritage of the humankind all a number of cultural programmes over the globe. The toll that this monstrous organized by many leading organizations/ virus has taken is simply enormous. It may institutions. It is somewhat redundant perhaps take us long than anticipated to mention that both of them impacted getting back to the familiar tune of our the nation in very many ways trying to normal life and living. However, we have focus on the communication of universal certainly been able by now to somewhat brotherhood with humanism. This month get ourselves adjusted or adapted to of May, 2020 brings us to an important the newly emerged lifestyle at a greater occasion when the birth centenary of cost- social, cultural , economic and Satyajit Ray will set in. Ray, one of the great psychological. humanists that the world has produced, In spite of all odds hanging on our necks does not require any introduction or we have been, of course, able to continue elaboration to our erudite members or with some of our academic programmes readers. Our Society will arrange to make and administrative networking based a fitting tribute to this noble soul and primarily on the increasing use of the versatile genius par excellence at an communication technology. We need to appropriate time. expand these activities more and more in Let me close the desk note with an the months to come. Our monthly Bulletin ardent appeal to all our Council members, and some publications have already been life and annual members, well-wishers lined up for that. Now we are working on to contribute generously to the PM a plan to hold essential meetings or even CARES account through our Society for small conferences through this process. enabling the government to fight out Gradually library and museum activities this pandemic. Our staff members have will also be brought under this programme already responded positively to the appeal in a selective way. issued by the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of Before the lockdown we had organized India for donating one day salary during a number of academic programmes the month of April, May and June, 2020. which could not be reported in the earlier Please stay home, stay safe by observing Monthly Bulletin. Some of those events all the necessary guidance issued by the will be included in the next issue of the Central as well as State governments from Bulletin. time to time.
Monthly Bulletin 3 May 2020 Tribute to Rabindranath Tagore
প্রকৃ তির প্রতিশ�োধ
সাগরিকা শূর, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি
"এই কার�োয়ারে 'প্রকৃ তির প্রতিশ�োধ' নামক নাট্কাব্যি লিখিয়াছিলাম। এই কাব্যে নায়ক সꇍন্সী সমস্ত সꇇহবন্ধন মায়াবন্ধন ছিন করিয়া, প্রকৃ তির উপরে জয়ী হইয়া, একান্ত বি�দ্ধভাবে অনন্তকে উপলব鶿 করিতে চাহিয়াছিল। অনন্তয েন সব-কিছুর বাহিরে। অবশেষে একটি বালিকা তাহাকে সꇇহপাশে বদ্ধ করিয়া অনন্তের ধ্যন হইতে সংসারের মধ্য ফিরাইয়া আনে। যখন ফিরিয়া আসিল তখন সꇍন্সী ইহাই দেখিল - 嗍ষ দ্রকে লইয়াই বৃহৎ, সীমাকে লইয়াই অসীম, প্রেমকে লইয়াই মুক醿। প্রেমের আল�ো যখনই পাই তখনই যেখানে চ�োখ মেলি সেখানেই দেখি, সীমার মধ্যও সীমা নাই।" [ঠাকু র, রবীন্দ্রনাথ, 'জীবনমৃত', রবীন্দ্র-রচনাবলী নবম খ�, বিশ্বভারতী, �রাণ ১৩৯৬ (বঙ্গাব্দ),ৃ প�ঠ ৫০০]
Monthly Bulletin 4 May 2020 May Day
Hay Market Martyrs: An Eloquent Silence Subhas Ranjan Chakraborty , Vice President, The Asiatic Society
I sat with a dynamiter at supper in a German saloon eating steak and onions And he laughed and old stories of his wife and children… His name was in many newspapers as an enemy of the nation And few keepers of churches and schools would open their door To him…. Only I always remember him as a lover of life, a lover of children A lover of all free, reckless laughter…lover of red hearts and red blood the world over. Carl Sandburg, The Dynamiter
E. P. Thompson wrote in the preface of his the American working class was also astir. In classic, The Making of the English Working Class, 1884, the Federation of Organised Trades and ‘the working class did not rise like the sun at Labour Unions (later the American Federation an appointed time. It was of Labour) met in a convention present at its own making’. If in Chicago and adopted a the becoming of the industrial proclamation that the eight- working class was a long hour day would constitute process, the Hay Market the ‘legal day’s labour massacre on 4 May, 1886 from and after May1,1886’. must be seen as a moment Following this, in 1886, a in the long journey when wave of demonstrations by their agency in their own the workers swept USA from making was so emphatically New York to San Fancisco, underlined. the principal demand being Engels wrote in 1878 that the eight-hour working day. ‘the working class movement Chicago, it would appear, has forced itself more and emerged as the centre of the more into the foreground struggle. of every day politics.’ The There were preparations second half of the 19th c. saw to organize the workers in the beginning of organized Chicago and slogans like ‘eight trade union movements, hours for work, eight hours demanding better working for rest, eight hours for what and living conditions, higher we will’ were being heard for wages and fixed working some time. The city witnessed hours. The demand for an eight-hour working on May 1 a large crowd of about 80,000 day became the battle cry of the working people marching along the Michigan Avenue class in Europe and there was increasing carrying banners and shouting slogans. The unionization of labour. Across the Atlantic, display of solidarity was, according to some
Monthly Bulletin 5 May 2020 May Day
contemporary accounts, impressive. One of the have seen this as suicide, but William J. Adelman leaders was Albert Parsons, who went to Ohio describes the event as ‘most mysterious, since next day to stage a rally there. His wife, born Lingg was hoping to receive a pardon that very a slave, organized another peaceful march of day’. There was suspicion that he was murdered about 35000 workers. But, on May 3, the police by the police.Parsons, Spies, Engel and Fischer attacked the workers (mostly members of the were hanged on 11 November, 1886. In June Anarchist-dominated Metal Workers Union) 1893, John P. Altgeld, the Governor of Illinois, picketing at McCormick Reaper Plant. This was pardoned Fielden, Neebe and Schwab as he felt seen as a provocation worth condemning and that ‘the trial was not fair’. the clarion was sounded for a rally against the The real issues involved in the series of events police atrocities at the Hay Market Square on were not just the demand for the eight-hour 4 May. The expected number did not turn out. work, better wages and working conditions, but Only about 2500 people attended; speakers also freedom of speech, the right to assembly, did not arrive on time and the meeting started the right to a fair trial by ‘ a jury of peers’ and the an hour after the appointed time. Albert right to organise to wrest the workers’ demands. Parsons joined later as did Samuel Fielden and The larger political perspective, as Engels had August Spies. The meeting was almost over anticipated, was clear. The events entered the and only about 200 people remained, when an consciousness of the working class all over the informer reported to the police that the speaker world and led in 1889 to the adoption of May was giving inflammatory speech. The police 1 as the ‘International Labour Day’ by socialists suddenly started to disperse the thinning crowd. of all hue. For long it was celebrated as the It was at that moment that a bomb was thrown labour day in America as well. But later, the day (it was never determined with certainty whether came to be associated increasingly only with by a demonstrator or by an agent provocateur). the communists, especially after the Bolshevik But it intensified the chaos started already Revolution in 1917. The imperatives of the cold by police action. The police now resorted to war obliged President Eisenhower to mark the shooting in the dark and seven policemen and first Monday of September as the new labour at least four workers were killed. Carter Harrison, day in 1958. As a commentator wrote, it was the Mayor of Chicago, was present and later forgotten that the May Day was as American as testified that August Spies made no suggestion baseball and apple pie. ‘for immediate use of force or violence’. Martial The martyrs were all buried in what is now law was declared in the whole of America and known as the Forest Home Cemetery in Forest in Chicago the leaders were arrested and their Park, near Chicago. A memorial was built and houses searched. Eventually eight men were dedicated on 25 June, 1893. At the bottom is picked up for trial- Albert Parsons, August Spies, inscribed the last words spoken by August Spies Samuel Fielden, Oscar Neebe, Michael Schwab, from the gallows: George Engel, Adolph Fischer and Louis Lingg. ‘The day will come when our silence will be more They were charged with murder though only Powerful than the voices you are throttling today.’ three were present. On August 20, 1886 at the time the bomb was thrown the Jury passed the The words were prophetic as the working verdict of guilty; seven were to be hanged; only class did acquire a strong and significant voice Neebe was given fifteen years of hard labour. in course of the next century. What, however, Pressure of public opinion made the Governor to disturbs, is the relative erasure of the memory change the punishment of Fielden and Schwab of the heroic struggle in an increasingly neo- later to life imprisonment. Of the five to be liberal world in the new century. Is the silence hanged, Lingg, the youngest, was found in his still eloquent? One would like to think in the cell with his head blown away. Many chroniclers affirmative, but the fate of the millions of
Monthly Bulletin 6 May 2020 May Day
trapped migrant labour (looking at visible Louis Lingg (1864- and invisible borders), the unprecedented rise 1887) - Youngest of in unemployment all over the world during the martyrs, Lingg the extraordinary crisis would instill a fear also came from about the return of the silence/s. It may not be Germany. Was in- inappropriate to recall a piece of history which, volved in the or- while enshrining a tragedy, incorporated a hope ganization of the for the future. Haymarket resonates today more Carpenters’ Union than it has in recent decades. in Chicago. Was The Eight Persons found Guilty by the Jury. known as a radical Engel, Fischer, Parsons and Spies were hanged; Anarchist. Gave a Lingg was found in his cell with his head blown m e m o r o r a b l e away and Fielden, Neebe and Schwab were speech during the pardoned by the Governor in 1893. trial.
G e o rg e E n g e l Albert Parsons (1836-1887) - Arriv- (1848-1887) - A ing from Germany printer by trade, to USA, settled in came to Chicago in Chicago in 1874. 1873. Moved from Worked in a wagon the Republican factory and be- Party to the Social- came involved in ist Labour Party the labour move- with his wife Lucy. ment. He was also Edited the Anar- an Anarchist. Was chist newspaper, not present at the The Alarm. Was a Haymarket meeting. well known labour activist in Chicago and was one of the chief organizers of the May 1 assem- Adolph Fischer bly in Chicago. ( 1 8 5 8 - 1 8 8 7 ) - Came from Ger- August Spies (1855- many in 1873.Was 1887) - Came to the a member of the USA in 1872 and set- German Typo- tled in Chicago in graphical Union in 1873. Active in la- St. Louis. Came to bour movement, he Chicago in 1883 joined the Socialist and worked for the Labour Party. Was the Anarchist paper editor of the Arbeiter- Arbeiter-Zeitung. Zeitung. Was associ- He helped organize the protest meeting at the ated with the organi- Hay Market Square, but left before the bomb sation of the May 4 went off. rally and addressed the workers.
Monthly Bulletin 7 May 2020 May Day
Michael Schwab Oscar Neebe (1850- (1854-1898) - Was as- 1916) - Born in New sociated with the Ar- York, moved to Chi- beiter-Zeitung. Helped cago in 1877. Co- Spies write the leaflet publisher of Arbeit- (proclaiming in bold er-Zeitung; active in letters, ‘Revenge! Chicago Central La- Wo r k i n g m e n , t o bour Union. Was arms’) protesting sentenced to Fif- against the police at- teen years of im- tack on the assembly prisonment in the at the McCormick fac- trial, but was pardoned by the Governor in 1893. tory. He briefly attended the rally on 4 May, but went away early. Was given death sentence, but it was commuted to life imprisonment by the [Biographical information was collected from Governor. Pardoned by the Governor in 1893. Mark Rogovin (Ed.)The Day Will Come: Honoring Our Working Class Heroes, Chicago, Illinois Labor Samuel Fielden History Society, May 1, 2011, pp 11-37; the details ( 1 8 4 6 - 1 9 2 2 ) A of the events on May 4 are based largely on Methodist preacher, William J. Adelman, The Story of the Haymarket he was deeply in- Affair, in Mark Rogovin’s (Ed.) book, pp 7-9. The volved in the labour Illinois Labor History Society is the steward of movement in Chi- the Haymarket Martyrs Monument. It has done cago. Was an Anar- wonderful work in recovering, nurturing and chist and a member continuing the great legacy of the Haymarket of the first Team- martyrs in particulat and the history of labour in sters Union of Chi- general. The first edition of The Day Will Come in cago. A radical, he 1994 was printed by Salsedo Press which notes wrote in The Alarm , that the Press is ' a minority, women and worker- ‘ whether a man works eight hours a day or ten owned cooperative, proud to be members of the hours, he remains a slave’. He was pardoned by Chicago Typographical Union, the same union to the Governor in 1893. which Albert Parsons belonged'. This fascinating continuity of history gives us hope of the silence to remain eloquent.]
References Mark Rogovin (Ed.)The Day Will Come: Honoring Our Working Class Heroes, Chicago, Illinois Labor History society, May 1, 2011 The International Working Class Movement, Vol.2 , Moscow, Progress Publishers, 1981, William J. Adelman, Haymarket revisited, Chicago, Illinois Labor History Society, 1972, Revised 1986 Irving Abrams, Haymarket Heritage, Chicago, Charles H. Kerr, 1999
Monthly Bulletin 8 May 2020 May Day
May Day: The Spectre and its History Urvi Mukhopadhyay, Professor, Department of History, West Bengal State University
Since last month, the pace of the middleclass Revolution and the Exposition Universelle, professional life in urban India has undergone a following a proposal by Raymond Lavigne, called dramatic change where most of us are adjusting for international demonstrations on the 1st of to the idea of working from home through the May 1890 to commemorate the anniversary of internet because of the “lockdown” to ward off the Chicago protests. By the last quarter of the the pandemic situation. However, since changes nineteenth century, the ten to sixteen long hours largely termed as Globalization, working from in unhealthy and often hazardous conditions in home is no more a novel idea for the people the work places without any safety measures in information technology sector who often were serious concerns for the labouring people connect to their colleagues through secured across the industrialised western world. The Internet services during odd hours which is, first group of socialists along with the already perhaps, seen as working hours on the other present anarchists in the labour unions across side of the globe. This connection between the the globe were demanding for the necessary continents are often celebrated not only as a work- rest balance for the workers, which was marker of a “global village” but also a practice ignored by the capitalist employers. In Chicago that ensured uninterrupted work that hardly of 1886, where an agitation was already going disturbs the productivity, going with the logic of on involving more than 400,000 people, May 1 capital. Globalization has perhaps replaced the was chosen as a day when the labour unions idea of the International which was perceived dominated by the anarchists and socialists a notion of a unified world without borders would call for a strike demanding eight hours about a century earlier, but from a very different work. perspective. The first day of May was traditionally marked The idea of the International in the political as the Spring Day of the agrarian calendar sense actually came during the height of across a major part of the western world which nationalism when identity was essentially was celebrated as the time of rejuvenation and understood by national characteristics. But fertility.1 In the middle ages, as Laura Hadded during this time, based on a parallel idea of observes, the May Day was celebrated in carnival structural reality, an idea of international system spirit.2 In the words of Bakhtin, the celebration arrived. It tried to explain not only political took a shape where ‘... the life itself, ... shaped structures such as empires as an international according to a certain pattern of play.... Every pattern, but also as an economic and social one participates because its very idea embraces phenomenon including exploitation and class all the people. While carnival lasts, there is no politics. The celebration of International Labour 1 Sidney Fine, ‘Is May Day American in Origin?’, The Historian, Vol. 16, No. 2 (Spring, 1954), pp. Day on May 1 had come into being in these 121-134. circumstances. In 1889, the First Congress of 2 Laura Hadded, ‘A May Day reclamation Project’, the Second International, meeting in Paris Landscape Journal, Vol. 18, no.2 (Fall 1999), pp for the centennial celebration of the French 119-136.
Monthly Bulletin 9 May 2020 May Day
other life outside it. During carnival time life is Bill in the English Parliament and proclaimed the subject only to its laws, that is, the laws of its broader socialist goal as to bring a time when own freedom.’3 In other words, the first day of ‘there will no longer be one class supporting May was traditionally a day of carnival when two others, but the unemployed both at the people celebrate the community by bringing out top and at the bottom of society will be got rid processions and feasting together. By the second of…. This is not the end but only the beginning half of the nineteenth century, a new class with a of the struggle’.7 A resolution at the Second sense of community was already in the making Congress of the Second international in the in the various industrial centres around Europe following year (1891) called for celebrating and America and getting concerned about the May Day as an annual event. Commenting their own well-being. The labour unions which on the importance of celebrating May Day as actually helped them to forge this class solidarity an annual event, even after the demand for by organising community activities like picnics, the Eight Hour Work was achieved in many dances, lectures and libraries were instrumental countries, Rosa Luxemburg mentioned that, in putting forward the demand of eight hours ‘As long as the struggle of the workers against work in Chicago.4 The peaceful march and the bourgeoisie and the ruling class continues, demonstration in the Haymarket Square in as long as all demands are not met, May Day Chicago, however, ended in disaster when the will be the yearly expression of these demands. police opened fire on the demonstrators, killing And, when better days dawn, when the working at least one and injuring many. Five leaders of the class of the world has won its deliverance then demonstration were arrested and framed on a too humanity will probably celebrate May Day false charge of hurling bombs on police and four in honour of the bitter struggles and the many of them were executed the year after following sufferings of the past.’8 In 1899, the German a farcical trial.5 The authorities including the Socialist Clara Zetkin mentioned May Day as the industrialists thought the ‘strict handling’ of the ‘Workers’ International Festival’ which stood for protesters would put an end to the growing ‘not only a demonstration in favour of all social demand for workers led by the socialists and reforms, demanded by the conscious section anarchists, but actually the incident came to be of the proletariat, but it is in the same time and hailed as the day of sacrifice for demanding the must inevitably be, a demonstration for the rights of the working classes for the first time noble aims of the proletarian class struggle, in history.6 the abolition capitalist society, the abolition of In the same meeting where Raymond every kind of slavery of man by man.’9 In 1904, Lavigne’s proposal found favour, the American the International Socialist Conference meeting delegates expressed intent to celebrate the in Amsterdam called on “all Social Democratic day as the day of Strikes and Demonstrations Party organizations and trade unions of all to commemorate the sacrifice of the Chicago heroes. On the May Day of 1890, Eleanor Marx, 7 Eleanor Marx, ‘Speech on the First May speaking to a gathering of hundred thousand Day’, Eleanor Marx, Vol. 2, Yvonne Kapp, in Hyde Park, London, revisited May Day as the Pantheon, 1976, for marxists.org in April, 2002. day to enforce implementation of the Eight Hour 8 Rosa Luxemburg, ‘What are the Origins of May Day?’ (1894) First published in Polish in Sprawa Robotnicza. from Selected Political Writings of 3 Mikhail Bakhtin, Rabelais and His World. Rosa Luxemburg, tr. Dick Howard, Monthly Review Bloomington: Indiana University ,1984, p.7. Press, 1971, pp. 315-16 from marxists.org April, 4 Alexander Trachtenberg, The History of May Day, 2002 New York: International Publishers, 1937, p.11 9 Clara Zetkin,’ The Workers’ International 5 Ibid ., p.12. Festival’ (1899), The Workers International 6 Ibid., p.13 Festival, Justice, 1 May 1899, p. 15.
Monthly Bulletin 10 May 2020 May Day
countries to demonstrate energetically on May and space for which they were working. This First for the legal establishment of the 8-hour right had been suppressed during the Industrial day, for the class demands of the proletariat, Revolution, when the owners of production had and for universal peace.” The congress made it tried to curb uses of time which would threaten “mandatory upon the proletarian organizations their new economy. And in the process, some of all countries to stop working on May 1, of the significance of May Day had dissipated.12 wherever it is possible without injury to the In effect, the rebirth of May Day as a labour workers.” 10 In America however, after the holiday ties into its history of lost meaning of Haymarket Square riot in May 1886, US President underlining importance of work-leisure balance Grover Cleveland feared that commemorating following the rhythm of nature where the Labour Day on May 1 could become an working-class labour is recognised as central to opportunity to commemorate the riots. So, he the production system. moved in 1887 to support the Labour Day that During the twentieth century, especially in the anti-anarchist union the Knights Of Labor the Socialist Block, the May Day has been one of supported. The state suppression on the May Day the most important festivals that mark the spirit celebration made it more radical as it was noted of the proletariat state. According to Guy Debord, by Bryan Palmer in his monumental book titled May Day celebration were part and parcel of the ‘Cultures of Darkness: Night Travels in Histories socialist project where “in the demand to live the of Transgression’ where he locates the May Day historical time which it makes, the proletariat celebration as a festive seizure of a working finds the simple unforgettable center …”.13 The class initiative that encompassed demands for state-centric celebration had to recognise the shorter hours, improvement in conditions, and spontaneous parades with their hand-made socialist agitation and organization against the props where people participated to add into the backdrop of the traditional spring calendar of carnival fervour. The Right-wing governments class confrontation.11 however, have traditionally sought to repress the An interesting trajectory could have been message behind International Workers’ Day, with drawn between the traditional festivity and an fascist governments in Portugal, Italy, Germany industrial protest when the slogans used for and Spain abolishing the workers’ holiday. the May Day strike in Chicago demanded “eight During the last quarter of the twentieth hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours century, the series of technological changes, for what we will’. Hadded thus observes a close particularly with the emergence of cyber link between these two apparently diverse calls technologies that reinterpreted the idea of the for strengthening an idea of community and industrial proletariat in production system, a class identity. According to her, the May Day coincided with the decline of the socialist since 1890 consciously celebrates the rights of alternatives which had been seen as the guardian the worker to enjoy leisure time or the pleasures figure for recognition of labour as an important of life. This can only happen at the expense component in the production process. However, of some of the speed of industry’s trajectory the new industrial classes are still being formed through irreversible time, toward the future. In and the exploitation for the sake of profit for the demanding that the pace of work to slow down, global capitalism has turned more omnipresent workers reclaimed the right to live in the time now. The internet and associated technologies have empowered them to turn the working hour 10 Alexander Trachtenberg, The History of May Day, p.15. 12 See Laura Haddad, ‘A May Day Reclamation Project’. 11 See Brian D. Palmer, Cultures of Darkness: Night Travels in the Histories of Transgression, New York: 13 Guy Debord, Society of the Spectacle. Detroit: Black Monthly Review Press, 2000. & Red. 1983, p.143.
Monthly Bulletin 11 May 2020 May Day
to an elastic entity where new ideas like work from in a new form for the working people in an home has put the traditional duality between industrialised world, but also as an instrument of the domestic and work space into question. hope for a future that restores balance between In this context, the spirit of May Day should work, rest and leisure, arguably for both the be remembered not only as a historical event leisured segments as well as for the working or indeed just as continuation of celebration classes irrespective of geographical locations.
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Monthly Bulletin 12 May 2020 Remembering Satyajit Ray
Reading History with Satyajit Ray: A Centenary Tribute Samik Bandyopadhyay Eminent Litterateur and Critic
In the short interview that preceded the first national telecast of his Sadgati, in 1981, Ray told me that he was entering new social territory, a whole new area of experience, the subaltern, which he would like to explore further, and was looking for stories; and had just discovered Mahasweta Devi. I could sense a desperation in him, as he could not find a story that would lend to his need. At the same time, with the political scenario changing, post-Emergency, he felt the need to take a critical look at Nationalism even as it was being redefined in the polity, with a quick delivery populist agenda eating into the secular, baggage of a rural culture through a history socialist direction that was withering away, of migration) to the Calcutta Tetralogy, filling with the beginning of what Arjun Appadurai in prehistories in the earlier century in Devi, has recently described as the new revolt of the Jalsaghar and Charulata, with two symptomatic elites, with the ‘masses’ in tow! Hence his choice cadenzas––Parashpathar and Kanchanjungha–– of Tagore’s Gharey Bairey, practically aborted by lifting the historical reading to a more critical- his heart attack that interrupted the making, and analytic plane, with evocations of capital and when he came back to it after recovery, he was class. no longer the old Satyajit Ray, with his complete The Calcutta Tetralogy—Aranyer Din Ratri, personal control of the mechanism of making, Pratidwandi, Seemabaddha, Jana Aranya— a in which he took such legitimate pride. Gharey typical product of the radical fervour consumed Bairey made its point of course, but not with by confusion so characteristic of the times, is an the strength of the anger ‘of a bow stretched elegiac lamentation over the collapse of values, taut and quivering’ as he (in his own words) had rampant corruption, the devious machinations achieved in Sadgati. aiming at position and power, almost subsumed As a matter of fact, Sadgati, in its barely 50- under a cynical despair, the only reliefs in odd minutes, was a culminating point and a sequences of dreams, nightmares and fantasies! breakthrough at the same time in the reading Sadgati followed as a turnaround, with its of history that seems to run through the films focus on labour, exploited by religious authority of Ray. The narrative of Bengal social history and fundamentalism. With the whole range of that he chalked so laboriously, sensitively and labour it brings into play, from the child making meticulously from the Apu Trilogy (the trilogic leaf plates to Dukhia, cutting grass, cleaning the scheme itself so significantly located, covering brahman’s courtyard, building up in violence to pre-World War I Bengal to the 1930s––Aparajito cutting the monstrous block of wood, it abstracts virtually starting with the title ‘Varanasi, year the process of history to that elemental, with 1327 be’ [1920]––registering at once the spirit of the nameless Gond bearing witness to it all, an urban culture that carries along with it the embodying the witnesshood of ‘Hum Dekhenge.’
Monthly Bulletin 13 May 2020 Remembering Satyajit Ray Agantuk : Satyajit Ray’s Last Shot on Pristine Humane Values
Satyabrata Chakrabarti, General Secretary, The Asiatic Society
When an ordinary admirer like me feels inclined to remember the great maestro during the cen- tenary year, it is but obvious that Satyajit Ray definitely got embedded in the appreciative minds of innumerable cine-viewers around the world cutting across all divides – geographical, linguistic and cultural. This is because of his innovative excellence and experiments in the composite production of films that he directed on various subjects starting from Pather Panchali (1955) to Agantuk(1991) at a stretch. Personally I became extremely fascinated to bring him back in the present discussion specially highlighting on Agantuk (The Stranger). This was the last in the series of his feature films, already mentioned in the preceding paragraph. coloured, released on 20.12. 1991 at a cine hall of When Ray says that he enjoys making a film Bombay. Ray directed it based on his own story. for the reason that it brings him closer to his The screenplay and music were also composed country and the people around, he also loves by the maestro himself and the National Film the varieties in nature and diversities of life Development Corporation (NFDC) was the of the people in various ecological niche. This producer. Being a student of Anthropology admission places him face to face with the myself, I felt doubly charged to bring into relief anthropologists whose professional compulsion the anthropological (or ethnographic) inputs lies in the field investigations for their research replete throughout his film. work. Ray seriously felt that trying to know I understood from discrete sources that Ray people, contextually acts as a tonic to the had expressed in private conversations with his thinking faculty of man. This was exactly the near and dear that this should be his last shot lifetime engagement of Rabindranath Tagore where he did exhaust all his intimate thoughts – “আপনাকে এই জানা আমার ফু রাবে না। এই জানারই about the intricacies of human culture and সঙ্গে সঙ্গে ত�োমায চেনা।“ behaviour evolved from a simpler to complex Coming back to the subject of Agantuk, Ray’s forms over millions of years. Agantuk was focus from the beginning was to juxtapose produced almost at a penultimate stage of the socio-cultural systems and beliefs of the life while he was keeping a fragile health and relatively simpler, pre-agricultural, pre-urban shooting mostly was done indoor with minimal tribal societies vis-à-vis that of the more technical paraphernalia. advanced and so called modern societies. In What prompted me to dare an attempt of other words, the focal theme of the film was writing this hurriedly-done short-note was centered around nuanced comparison of cultural
Monthly Bulletin 14 May 2020 Remembering Satyajit Ray
possession and their expression placed between to the East. He felt little nostalgic and decided to so called ‘primitivity’ as contrasted with ‘civility’ visit his old city Calcutta and eventually preferred in the context of evolution of human societies. to stay with the only surviving blood relation i.e. Human relations were neatly reflected along the family of the niece, Khuki. Since he did not this binary scale based on primordial relations of even know the good name of Anila, Manomohan man to man and man to nature on the one hand chose to address her in his letter by a common and formal and estranged relations on the other. Bengali pet name of a girl child i.e. Khuki. Anila’s While the argument between the protagonists husband (Sudhindra Bose, Dipankar De, an of these two groups developed mainly through executive of a corporate house) was taken aback narratives, Ray consciously takes a position with this news and was initially very resistant to favouring the rich cultural heritage possessed allow the entry of her suspect maternal uncle. by the community of the primitive world and Their son Satyaki even shared this interesting simultaneously condemning sophistries of the episode with his friends about the doubtful civilized world. And for doing that he nicely and identity of this incoming grandpa. very appropriately uses frequent satires and Now, the story starts from Manomohan’s symbols in the narratives. arrival and brief stay in this family till his The film begins with arrival of a stranger (!) departure for the new journey to the East who bore a primordial blood relation with his (preferably Australia). It began with the identity directly descended niece (Anila, Mamata Shankar) verification of the stranger by Sudhindra and his but having no cognizable memory about each friends – one is the leading barrister (Prithwish, other. This was due to long exile of her maternal Dhritiman Chattopadhyay) and another a uncle (Manomohan Mitra, Utpal Dutta) in comedian in the film world (Mr. Rakshit, Rabi distant places of North and South America Ghosh). In the process a whole lot of arguments, without any touch with the family members for counter arguments ensued and intricate debate about thirty five years since 1955. This strange followed to justify the worth of primitive disappearance was caused by Manomohan’s knowledge systematically and collectively inexplicable interest for intensive touring into accumulated over time and space, which simply the wider world external to his immediate cannot be ignored or dispensed with one environ (wanderlust), and deep inquisition negative stroke coming from the mechanically to know varieties of people, specially the so oriented urbanities. It requires time, patience called primitive and jungle clad people, some and sympathy to understand these communities of whom could paint massive bison in the cave living in the difficult geographical terrain of Altamira in Spain thousands of years ago. This far away from the overcrowded cities. They was perhaps the starting point of Manomohan’s possess discernible cultural code of life full taking a comparative look of the two worlds of excellence including practical approach already mentioned. towards material living embodying knowledge Manomohan eventually gathered unique of elementary science, technology, ecology, experiences, took notes, familiarized himself architecture and so on. Manomohan cited in with the style of wanderer’s life, food habits favour of his arguments the examples such as etc. He got excited knowing how the INCA the habitat made of ice of the Eskimos of north civilization could be built up at the height of pole, mendicant in a jungle who could easily mountain situated at Andes, South America, remember at least 500 medicinal plants, the thousands of years ago. He collected a number Santal architecture, their performing art etc. of old coins from various places of historical The Santal rebellion of 150 years ago against the importance. urban exploiters is remembered even now. In a However, Manomohan decided to have a different context in response to the barrister’s break of his tour to the West and planned to move negation about cannibalism, Manomohan
Monthly Bulletin 15 May 2020 Remembering Satyajit Ray
while disapproving this primitivity came out emerged highly sensitive, thoroughly educated, satarically that one need not consider the inherently tied to his own valued cultural root destruction of a city using a single knob with and on top of everything emotionally surcharged a single touch as ideal example of civility. Thus to establish comparatively the actual worth Manomohan opened sharp arrows one after of the neglected, underestimated primitive another from his quiver trying to dismiss the tribal world which taught the so called civilized contradiction in advanced civilized societies, world the message of harmony and balance for example, where NASA (National Aeronautics between production and pleasure, between and Space Administration) and nesha (addiction) man and nature and all that. The film concludes exist simultaneously. While the former was by establishing the blood relations between the instrumental in many achievement in the field maternal uncle and his niece at the end after of science and technology, the latter was equally a long interregnum and handing over to her damaging in the lives of innumerable drug- the inherited share from the ancestral property addicted youth forces of the world. before beginning the next journey towards the Ultimately, the barrister failing to prevail upon East in quest of the still unknown world. One Manomohan chose to confront the latter on cannot forget mentioning another interesting his ideas about ‘god’ and religion. Manomohan interlude here. The insulted Manomohan left counterposed to the barrister as to the real the niece’s house after that marathon session intent of these two psycho-cultural affiliations and returned to a Santal village in Shantiniketan of mankind of all time for bringing good values for a change. Anila with her husband and son of humanism in practical life. But the actual traced him there and requested him to return experiences have been otherwise because of with them. Manomohan arranged a Santal dance increasing divisive forces in the name of religion programme for them before leaving the place in in many societies. This suffocative session had order to expose them to such lively feast of love also some relief in-between where Anila rendered of these simple folk. He finally leaves Calcutta an imaginative Tagore song; when Mr. Rakshit conveying a message to the grandson not to be cited adda (gossip) among the Bengalis, Satyaki shallow or parochial in life. rejoiced having some ancient coins as permanent Since the limited space will not permit me gift from grandpa (though his identity was still at the moment to expand other areas in details hanging in doubt); Sudhindra’s verification of I would prefer to conclude by borrowing a title Manomohan’s passport; Satyaki’s friends having a of Professor Hirendranath Mukherjee’s book – chance of educative interaction with the stranger Rabindranath : Himself A True Poem and myself and so on and so forth. Every time the stranger repeating – Satyajit: Himself A True Film.
Revisiting Satyajit Ray’s Ashani Sanket in 2020 Arun Bandopadhyay, Historical and Archaeological Secretary, The Asiatic Society It has now become almost commonplace a critical but symbiotic reading of the past. Born to consider Satyajit Ray (1921-1992) as ‘the in a renowned literary family of Bengal, with last scion of Bengal Renaissance’ in general such legendary linkage as with Upendra Kishore recognition of his versatile genius, but it is more Raychaudhuri and Sukumar Ray as forefathers, specially directed towards his evaluation as a Satyajit had a distinguished upbringing and an filmmaker in the long run. This is quite logical in elan of personality only comparable to some view of his versatility of achievements, mixture of the great Renaissance figures of Bengal. of east and west in thought and expression, and Barring a few exceptions of his films with
Monthly Bulletin 16 May 2020 Remembering Satyajit Ray
juncture. First of all, Ray being such a creative genius as to make the revisit of any of his films a valuable exercise. But as regards Ashani Sanket (first released in India in August 1973, on the thirtieth year of the Bengal Famine of 1943, the subject matter of the film), there is an additional reason to re-visit the film in 2020, at the very inception of his centenary celebration. As late as 2012, in the last decennial survey conducted by the reputed British film journalSight and Sound, some critics have included this film amongst the 50 all time best films of the world. There is reason to believe that this renewed interest in the film is the product of a very specific twenty- first century viewing of it. I am tempted to argue that if we take a post-2020 look at it, in other words during the period after Corona (AC), we may come to some new meanings generated by it. In August 1973, when I first saw the movie in Sealdah Chhabighar along with my young American friend David Curley (later known as a distinguished social historian of Bengal), I was about to venture in research, just after getting my M.A degree in the same month. Both of us contemporary political content in the late 1960s were enmeshed in our prospective studies of and early 1970s, his life-long engagement was agrarian history, and we judged the film in those mainly directed towards an understanding of lines. Forty-seven years later, in April 2020, I saw the past, in the realm of social, cultural and again Ashani Sanket to have an inkling for new emotional domain broadly pertaining to pre- meanings. 1947 Bengal and India. Critics have taken Ray Let it be clarified here that this note does both as an ‘exception’ (as Ashish Rajadhyaksha not purport to make a comparative study of has marked him the “Greatest? Or the Only”) as Bibhutibhusan (the author of the book) and Satyajit well as ‘limited’ (as Chandak Sengupta has called (the film-maker), their literature and film, on the his cinema “the prison-house of Humanism”). subject of the Bengal Famine of 1943. This is more However, hardly any critic has so far highlighted a study of Ray’s film, though the literary content the need to re-visit both Renaissance and Ray in hidden in the original text has not been ignored. order to understand each independently and Many times, Ray himself has clarified the root of their mutual relation better for an appreciation his attraction to Bibhutibhusan: the detailed and of his films. The present note partly strives to pictorial description of the rural world. But Ray’s make a modest attempt in that direction. film makes a further contrast: Natural world vs However, it must be admitted in the very human world. It is no wonder that he translates beginning that the scope of this brief note, as the novel’s title not literally as Signs of Thunder but indicated in the title, is limited. It seeks to review, freely as Distant Thunder for its implied nuances. on the eve of the birth centenary of Satyajit The very pictorial presentation of the distant Ray, only one of his films,Ashani Sanket (Distant thunder with a series of mise-en-scene: the idyllic Thunder) by name. There is a general and special landscape of the village, changing time, the hidden reason to re-visit this film at the moment of this inter-connectivity of the village, town, city and
Monthly Bulletin 17 May 2020 Remembering Satyajit Ray
the world gradually becoming apparent to the famine, the year of its occurrence and the death toll villagers, and the transformation from a scarcity are mentioned only in the last sequence of the film. to a full-fledged famine in contrast to the presence Throughout, the narrative is built up surrounding a of an otherwise beautiful natural world around. family and a few persons but ultimately connecting The filmic story is just like a ‘fable’, a word so the highly personal accounts with the impersonal dear to many of Ray’s critics such as Jay Cocks who ones. A subtle, socially stratified narrative is wrote in Time about it as “a fable of encroaching, interwoven in this story. It begins with the visit of enlarging catastrophe”. It begins with the migration Moti, an untouchable woman from Gangacharan’s of Gangacharan Chakrabarti, a half-educated previous village, to Angana’s home, and ends Brahman and his beautiful wife Angana to a with Moti’s death through hunger in the vicinity remote village of Bengal in search of comfortable of their house at the close of the film. The social living. The village being the one inhabited by attitude of Angana towards untouchable Moti has lower castes, Gangacharan’s happened to be changed significantly over this period of famine. only Brahman family there. The highly distressed The economic narrative also deserves some life of the family as experienced in the previous comment. It is to be remembered that Amartya village began to mitigate a bit when Gangacharan Sen’s influential workPoverty and Famines: An Essay started to work as a priest, primary teacher and on Entitlement and Deprivation (1981) was yet to local doctor in the new village at the same time. appear when Ray made this film. Even then, Ray The community around was generally distressed, includes both the supply and demand as causal and was further marked by social stratification of factors of the famine in the narrative, so much so caste and class. However, the commoners were that Gangacharan is heard of using words of utter respectful to the Brahman couple in general. The frustration both on the non-availability and high initial signs of the thunder first appeared before price of rice, here and there. The rapidity of the Gangacharan from a distance, when he met an old rise of the price of rice is also indicated particularly Brahman, Dinabandhu Bhattcharya by name, who from the second half the year 1943. The humanist first shared his difficulty because of the scarcity narrative, so rich in Bibhutibhusan’s literary work of rice. Months later, Dinabandhu made a visit to and Ray’s filmic presentation, focuses on a few Gangacharan’s home for food, and had engaged radically negative developments such as physical in a further discussion of the cause and effect of lust and greed (as reflected in Chutki and scarfaced the scarcity, its connection with the world war Jadu episode or Angana’s molestation by the latter) and related events such as the Japanese military on the one hand, and a few exceptional socially presence, fall of Singapore and disappearance of positive developments elsewhere (as reflected the cheap Burmese rice from the market. The crisis in the attitude of the daughter of the substantial was soon felt by Gangacharan also when he did not rice-holder towards Gangacharan searching to get keroscene oil and rice even by offering price. purchase that). It shows that some breaking and The local rice gola of the village head Biswas was making persons are constantly done throughout looted, and Gangacharan was manhandled in the the famine disorder. Finally, in this historical story process. The famine started with its all attendant of hunger, probably there is an epidemiological features of hardship and hunger. In this fable, the story also. Ray shows three words prominently at bridge between the proximate and distant was the climax of the episode: mahamari (epidemic), made and unmade through search for rice, often anahar (hunger) and hahakar (widespread wailing). in vain. The villages and towns moved towards a Of about 3 millions death toll in Bengal because famine at large, en bloc. of the famine, a considerable part was accounted It will be perfectly in order to speak a few words for by epidemic (mostly cholera and malaria), about the historical story as depicted in the film. particularly after October 1943. The film, therefore, By no means, Ashani Sanket gives an impersonal shows the unmistaken path of hunger being narrative of the Bengal Famine of 1943. Indeed, the followed by epidemic in a large scale.
Monthly Bulletin 18 May 2020 Remembering Satyajit Ray
As indicated earlier, natural world occupies a Bengal happened to have beautiful colour of distinct place in Ray’s Ashani Sanket. We know that clouds because of the frequency of rainbows in the literary world of Bhibhutibhusan, nature in the post rainy season. The film ends with an often comes as a leitmotif. I shall now argue that announcement that the famine was man-made. as far as this film is concerned, nature does not By contrast, nature had nothing to do with it. The act merely as a background to the story, but a fact that deprivation and hunger occurred in the part and parcel of it in a deeper sense. Nobody human world in a massive scale when the natural ignores the first five minutes of the film before the world was full, beautiful and buoyant is not to title page appears: trees and flowers in naturally be mistaken. Nature is always significant in Ray’s diverse combination, the green fields, the lotus- films, but in Ashani Sanket, its implications are full water. It is to be noted that while Angana has notable in more than one sense. been taking a bath in the pond of the new village, Can we get altogether new meanings after she looks at water and her hands for several re-visiting Ray’s Ashani Sanket in 2020? At this minutes. She also looks in the sky to find five war moment, I have three brief answers for the planes, flying like white egrets, 'beautifully'. Ray question. First, the inter-connectivity of local, probably wishes to indicate the place of nature provincial, colonial and global in forms of a largely in the idyllic, beautiful village where thunder construed world of man-made developments has may come only from distance, hence the Distant to be searched out for its ongoing implications to Thunder. Nature also can create conditions of be comprehended in course of time, past, present survival in a period of crisis as village women go and future. Secondly, we have to gradually realize to the nearby forest to dig and get wild potatoes the distinctive separateness of the natural story as substitutes of rice. Most importantly, as Ray independent of the human story, though the has clarified elsewhere, the use of colour in the latter is continuously enmeshed in the former. film is most suggestive, both in terms of form Nature as a distinct actor gets its due prominence and content. We are surprised to look at it, and its therefore. Finally, nature’s own narrative, both in various manifestations in the sky and the fields, in content and form, provides hidden sustenance the flowers and in water bodies, with butterflies and a futuristic outlook for the humankind, by and chameleons, at regular intervals of the film’s making conditions of survival more prominent narrative. Ray maintains that his critics have often and critical. In 1943, hunger was followed by an misunderstood its implications, thinking of that epidemic. In 2020, a pandemic may be followed they are mere artistic ornamentation, nice but by widespread hunger in future. In post-Corona unnecessary. His argument is as follows. People world beyond 2020, such understanding generate died when nature was lush green as the fields new meanings of the nature’s survival and were full of paddy, bumper fields not ripe for blooming, in sharp contrast to badly managed consumption. A considerable portion of death human world more often than ever. toll occurred in autumn when the sky of rural
50 years of Pratidwandi Arupratan Bagchi, Administrative Officer, The Asiatic Society
This month of May, 2020 is very important to Pratidwandi [The Adversary] is a Bengali us as the birth centenary celebration of Satyajit movie released on 27 Oct, 1970. The movie is Ray, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time will directed by Satyajit Ray and featured Dhritiman start from this month. In this year, Pratidwandi, Chatterjee, Krishna Bose and Kalyan Chatterjee one of his greatest movie also turns 50. as lead characters. It is based on veteran Bengali
Monthly Bulletin 19 May 2020 Remembering Satyajit Ray
the two adversaries — Siddhartha and the city of Calcutta. The city is continually changing in the context of unrest and unemployment and Siddhartha cannot come to term with such changes. And at a stage, during a job interview Siddhartha explodes with anger at the entire system. Finally, being unable to manage a job in Calcutta, Siddhartha leaves his city and accepts the job of a medical salesman in a small town of North Bengal. The film ends with Siddhartha hearing the sombre chants of a funeral procession. This scene completes a circle with the first scene, which showed the death of his father. According to Roy , “You can see my attitude in The Adversary where you have two brothers. The younger brother is a Naxalite. There is no doubt that the elder brother admires the younger brother for his bravery and convictions. The film is not ambiguous about that. As a filmmaker, however, I was more interested in the elder brother because he is the vacillating character. As a psychological entity, as a human being with doubts, he is a more interesting character to me. The younger brother has writer Sunil Gangopadhyay’s Bengali novel of the already identified himself with a cause. That same name and is the first film of Ray’s “Calcutta makes him part of a total attitude and makes Trilogy”, which continued with Seemabaddha him unimportant. The Naxalite movement takes (1971) and Jana Aranya (1975). over. He, as a person, becomes insignificant. ” The film tells the story of Siddhartha Ray’s cinematic technique is one of the Chaudhury, a 25-year-old jobless graduate on the highlights of this film. He had made experiments background of social and economic disruption in with techniques such as photo-negative Bengal. The film starts with his father’s cremation, flashbacks in this film. which forces Siddhartha to discontinue his Eminent film critic James Travers gave the medical studies and he starts looking for a job film 5 stars out of five, calling it “a significant around which the film revolves. His nice-looking stylistic shift from Ray’s previous films, so much sister Tapu is the only earning member of the so that it may have shocked and surprised family. She has a relationship with her affluent contemporary audiences who had grown boss and believed that there is no harm to accustomed to his poetic flavour of neo-realism maintain physical relations with one to survive during the previous decade. ” in this materialistic world. His brother Tunu, The film won three Indian National Film a college student belongs to the Communist Awards in 1971: National Film Award for Naxalite movement. Siddhartha cannot align Best Direction, National Film Award for Best himself with either his revolutionist brother or Screenplay and National Film Award for Second his career-oriented sister. Only his relationship Best Feature Film and was also nominated for the with Kaya, a simple city girl keeps him sensible. Gold Hugo Award, at the Chicago International The two key characters in Pratidwandi are Film Festival, 1971.
Monthly Bulletin 20 May 2020 Combating Corona
Prevention of COVID-19 Dr Sankar Kumar Nath Consultant Oncologist & Member of Academic Committee of The Asiatic Society
The fact is that the incidence of coronavirus epidemic, closing their borders, and deployed disease (COVID-19) is increasing everyday along testing and isolation protocols. This strategy with the increase death rate globally. As this allowed them to keep their numbers down virus is a new (Novel) one, nobody would have and contain the spread”. [ Till 24. 4. 2020, Total obtained any immunity till now. This is why it is confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Vietnam : 268, so dangerous, moreover its entire characteristics Total Recovery : 225, Deaths : nil ] So bulk testing are still to be explored and for that matter World is the principal measure to understand the true Health Organization (WHO ) and other health nature of COVID-19, as the crisis is unfolding and medical organizations are reviewing the day by day, more and more diagnostic tests are data everyday with newer information and being performed across the world . Joe Hasell instructions before us. and his associate researchers of ‘Our World in India also have taken strong steps for Data’, Oxford reiterated , “It is one of our most prevention, containment and management important tools in the fight to slow and reduce of COVID-19. Personal protections for the the spread and impact of the virus. Tests allow physicians, nursing staff and other health us to identify infected individuals, guiding the care workers have also been strengthened, medical treatment that they receive. It enables notwithstanding these forefront workers against the isolation of those infected and the tracing coronavirus are sometimes getting infected and quarantining of their contacts. And it can by the coronavirus , of course, to a very lesser help allocate medical resources and staff more number. efficiently." It is to be noted that Hellewell et al We can quote Dr David Duong, Instructor in discussed the factors that influence the success Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard of isolation, testing and contact tracing on Medical School, who says , COVID-19 in their research paper “Feasibility of “If we think about Vietnam from a controlling COVID-19 outbreaks by isolation of geographical perspective, it borders China, and cases and contacts” in the Lancet Global Health, yet they have reported very few cases and no volume 8, issue 4 (28. 2. 2020 ). deaths so far. When the first cases were imported Now two types of tests are being done : into the country, the government immediately 1. RT-PCR : Test to show the presence of put protocols in place, and started mobilizing coronavirus. The test is done by taking domestic masks, PPE equipment and started nasopharyngeal swab and/or sputum looking at diagnostic testing options. They sample. This test can detect coronavirus were in a state of containment, and therefore only from the person infected currently. tested and then isolated positive patients and 2. Rapid Antibody Test : It is a serological their contacts. Vietnam mounted a “whole test done from the blood sample of government” response quite early in the todetect the presence of antibodies in
Monthly Bulletin 21 May 2020 Combating Corona
response to coronavirus infection. This 7. Try to clean and disinfect daily the test is highly effective while done in surfaces frequently touched by you by mass scale, according to Indian Council sanitizer. These are tables, door-knobs, of Medical Research (ICMR ), to trace furniture, toys, phone, coins,currency out the presence of the disease in some notes, laptops, remote-control etc. After particular area. cleaning these, wash your hands again. 8. Keep physical distancing from other The statistics of COVID-19 as on 25 April people of at least one meter. 2020, are as below : 9. Do not spit unnecessarily in public World : Total confirmed cases : 2686785 ; places. Deaths : 184681 (ref. WHO ). 10. Avoid all types of social gatherings, India : Total confirmed cases : 24942 ; Deaths : rather discourage them. 779 (ref. Health Ministry,Government 11. Try to avoid to attend the hotel, of India, published in Hindustan restaurant, coffee shop, bar etc. times ) 12. Vigorously wash the raw fruits, The number of COVID-19 cases has been vegetables, meat, fish etc. with warm steadily increasing along with death toll. In water first and then clean it in running this context, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, water. Do not keep these groceries into Director-General of WHO briefed on 22 April, the refrigerator before cleaning. Milk 2020, “Coronavirus will be with us for some packets can be cleaned with soap water. time to come. This virus remains dangerous …. 13. Try to avoid taking raw vegetables as Most of the world remains susceptible”. In such being served in the salad, rather take deplorable situation, we are to think to give hot meals instead of cold ones. utmost stress on Prevention by applying all the 14. Make it a habit to wear mask for social possible measures against COVID-19 as there is protection at large. no specific treatment of the disease and even its 15. Take balanced foods along with Vitamin vaccine is yet to come. C and antioxidant containing foodstuff. 16. Keep close vigil and extra care towards Please follow the Guidelines for Preven- the children, aged and sick persons . tion of COVID-19 : 17. Practice for some free hand exercise 1. Wash your hands carefully off and on and Yoga. with soap and water for at least20 18. Contamination of newspapers : seconds each time, or with sanitizer According to WHO : “The likelihood which contains at least 60% of alcohol. of an infected person contaminating 2. Stay at home during the period of commercial goods is low and the lockdown. risk of catching the virus that causes 3. Do not touch your face specially mouth, COVID-19 from a package that has nose and eyes. been moved, travelled and exposed 4. Do not touch the other people in any to different conditions and tempera- way , like handshake etc. ture is also low. ” Even then if you are 5. While coughing, sneezing, blowing worried, you may read the newspaper the nose or talking, always cover your outside the room and leave it there mouth with mask, handkerchief, tissue after reading and then wash your paper or at least by bent-elbow. hands as usual. 6. Avoid sharing your personal items like 19. How to cope with stress during the COV- mobile phone, combs, laptop, wrist ID-19 outbreak and lockdown period : watch, ornaments or even books. According to WHO, “It is normal to feel
Monthly Bulletin 22 May 2020 Combating Corona
sad, stressed, confused, scared or angry Draw on skills you have used in the past during a crisis. If you must stay at home, that have helped you to manage previ- maintain a healthy lifestyle - including ous life’s adversities. Respond to your proper diet, sleep, exercise and social child’s reactions in a supportive way, contacts with loved ones at home and listen to their concerns and give them by email and phone with other family extra love and attention. ” and friends . Do not use smoking, al- 20. Finally, if you have any symptoms cohol or other drugs to deal with your like coughing, sneezing, temperature emotions. Limit worry and agitation by rise and respiratory distress, please lessening the time you and your family contact your house physician or the spend watching or listening to media clinic/hospital recommended by the coverage that you perceive as upsetting. government.
Courtesy : The Times of India, 24.04.2020
Monthly Bulletin 23 May 2020 Combating Corona
Urgent Humanitarian Community Level Intervention for the Urban Slums has to be the Mainstay of India’s COVID-19 Response Eejrenab Natnayas, MBBS, MD, DNB, DM (Infectious Diseases) (AIIMS)
Lad e vOLUNTEER of Infectious Diseases, PUBhealth – People without Bor- ders united for health
“Our lives begin to end the day we become by far the greatest single public health challenge silent about things that matter” said one of the that I have ever witnessed in my lifetime. greatest of opposition leaders that the modern I must congratulate the honourable prime democratic nations have ever seen – Martin minister of India for adequately recognising the Luther King Jr, whose land now has the largest problem and not looking away from it. I must number of novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) applaud the way by which India government infected cases as an individual nation across deployed diplomatic, logistic and medical the world. resources to rescue 645 Indian citizens stranded The so-called “Chinese virus” named by in Wuhan, at the heart of the epidemic in the US President has now infected more than January. The swift coordination of the Indian 906,551 cases in the United States itself, more foreign ministry, civil aviation, Air Force and the than ten times of the total number of cases health department has also allowed the safe reported till date from China. If the culture transit and massive evacuation of Indian citizens of naming and shaming continues, then an as well as nationals from other countries like that arrogant leader from another country might call of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Maldives, Nepal, China, it the “American virus” today. Japan, Peru, South Africa, USA and Madagascar Many of us had never heard the name of from the affected areas and the stranded cruise Coronavirus before this January. Within less ship. Nobody can dare to ignore the timely and than 4 months of COVID-19 being discovered bold response of the government in suspending and recognised for the first time in the history of all the visas from affected countries from second medicine, it has spread across the global borders week of March and the nationwide lockdown created by men in the name of states and nations since 24th of March. and has invaded all the continents inhabited by When the prime minister of United Kingdom the human being. was speaking about shaking hands, who has When I am writing this piece, it has infected himself been unfortunately detected with more than 2.8 million persons and has killed at COVID-19 later on, needing intensive care least 198 thousand people globally. I have not management along with his royal prince, the witnessed the large outbreaks of small pox or the prime minister of India spoke about namaste Plague. Ebola also did not reach this magnitude (greetings by folded hands) and indigenous ever. Certainly, this highly transmissible disease, home-made masks. When the United States despite of its much lesser mortality at 3.5 - 5% is were hesitant to announce social distancing
Monthly Bulletin 24 May 2020 Combating Corona
and widespread lockdown, India has taken the numbers of cases may rise exponentially with bold decision of massive nationwide lockdown. these areas as the epicentres even during the While applauding all the united efforts of lock down period, and hence, urgent measures the national government, the brave frontline are required in these areas to identify, isolate, healthcare workers, scientific community and treat early and keep mortality low. the public health experts of India, I would like According to the Indian Slums survey to say that tackling COVID-19 shall require a carried out in 2012, India had almost 9 million stronger multidimensional and decentralised households living across 33,510 urban slums. approach. The populous state of Maharashtra had almost If we see the South Korean example, at one one-fourth of all the urban slums, with the state’s point, after China, the COVID-19 epidemic had capital Mumbai, housing the largest slums of its deepest roots in South Korea. It is through a the world since the late 19th century, continues concerted multidimensional effort, including to contribute for a quarter of the national massive roll out of testing facilities, with almost aggregate of 24,447 confirmed cases and more 10,000 people being tested every day at the than one-third of that of India’s recorded 780 height of the epidemic, stringent measures COVID-19 related deaths as on 25th of April. on isolation and quarantine in place for the Slums from Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Meerut, test positive individuals and their contacts and Hyderabad, Nagpur and Indore has also seen huge governmental funding in strengthening recent surges in number of cases. the health systems. The Korean government In contrary to the elegant metropolis also used super-smart IT based tracking of decorated with Victorian stately edifices, the cases and their contacts by collecting palaces, avenues and parks, the slums of Mumbai the physical movement and social mingling resulted from the intense overcrowding with a data through mobile phone GPS traces, credit complete absence of urban planning due to card transactions and other physical buying sustained influx of migrant workers attracted information and social media. The Singaporean to the ‘city of dreams’ - India’s financial, business example of active contact tracing and quarantine and cinema capital, over the decades spanning program, which offered additional quarantining from the end of nineteenth century through sustenance (equivalent to US$73 per day) to the two world wars. Since the 1880s, the protect self-employed and small businesses by Bombay slums were full of low-rise ill-ventilated direct cash transfer is also a wonderful example shanty buildings, narrow insanitary filthy lanes of a sustainable lock-down compared to that occasionally flooded by the high tides from without any back-up plan. the sea flowing in through the sewage canals Citizens of India are exactly one month into distributing human and animal night-soil, the six weeks nationwide lockdown, when social leaving much of the city in environmental ruins distancing is practically limited to the rich and during the rainy seasons. upper middle class of the urban society and the Bombay has seen unprecedented rates sparsely populated villages, where there is the of mortality among the lower caste and luxury of larger indoor floor space per capita and marginalized people living in the slums during private toilet facilities. the plague epidemic since 1896 with 50% of It is important to recognize that "Lock Down - increased deaths in between 1896 to 1900 and equivalent to - Quarantine - equivalent to - Social 70% in the subsequent decade, attributed to Distancing" DOES NOT apply for urban slums and plague alone, which resulted in the enactment of urban densely populated lower income group The Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897. The Act was and lower middle-income group residential enacted 50 years prior to India’s independence clusters and actually lead to social nearing or during the British colonial rule. crowding in these areas. It is possible that the Unsurprisingly, The Act, coined by the
Monthly Bulletin 25 May 2020 Combating Corona
imperial colonist rulers, heavily empowers of death is acute respiratory distress syndrome the coercive power of the state, instead (ARDS). The mortality-rate of severe ARDS cases of the rights and interests of the citizens. in India unrelated to COVID-19, as published Humanitarian provisions for security, dignity, from well-respected tertiary healthcare centers wage compensations and individual civil rights like AIIMS, PGI Chandigarh, CMC Vellore, etc. of quarantined individuals during pandemics, is roughly 50-60%. Hence, though we must particularly for poor and marginalized people prepare for the worst and strengthen the ICU from the slums, who needs to be quarantined services, the priority for public investments in a separate isolation facility, is nowhere spelt should be focussed to detect early, ensure out in The Act. Many of the localities within appropriate humanitarian quarantine and such slums like that of Dharavi, which are rapid treatment of mild to moderate cases with home to already vulnerable and marginalized high-risk to prevent them from progressing to communities are marked as hotspot zones and ARDS. For the slums and the marginalized poor are spatially sealed off as per local municipal people, it is of utmost importance to maximize decree empowered by The Epidemic Diseases voluntary and early disclosure of symptoms and Act of 1897, compelling people to live in ensure volunteering for screening and testing abominable crowded conditions, possibly by engaged community partnerships from facilitating the transmission. While Dharavi of these areas – by reaching out to the community Mumbai is an extreme example with alarming through community-based organizations, number of cases and death recorded in its super- NGO’s, Trade Unions and alike and NOT Police dense slums, most of the densely populated at the frontline. lower income group urban residential clusters It is important to ensure a bundle of basic in India with shared sanitation facilities might mandatory humanitarian characteristics of soon see an exponential rise of cases. the Community quarantine facilities with the Different categories of service providers, establishment of transparent monitoring & who have come in close contacts with the evaluation system for the same. initial imported cases in the last few weeks The mandatory characteristics should at before lockdown, for eg. – taxi and cab drivers, least include – domestic helps, cooks and bartenders, house- a. Humane quarantine - Humanitarian, keeping workers of flights, airports and hotels, compassionate and benevolent, non- other classes of hotel and hospitality workers, threatening approach commercial sex workers, etc., mostly happen to reside in the urban slums and urban densely b. Secure quarantine – populated lower income group and lower i. Facilities have to be uncompromisingly middle-income group residential clusters. A secure, transparent and answerable significant number of them are young healthy to the family members and the working adults, without comorbidities and community of the quarantined hence might have a significant number of individuals, funding agencies and asymptomatic, presymptomatic and mildly people at large. symptomatic COVID-19 cases shedding and ii. All necessary steps needed to avoid distributing the virus to others, acting as any sort of security breaches like “amplifier hosts” in the sealed off or locked down sexual assaults, fire, accidents, building urban slums. collapse, etc. at the community All severely ill COVID-19 cases (roughly 6% of quarantine facilities. all infected) identified and treated in ICU’s with or iii. Transparency and answerability of the without mechanical ventilators all over the world, community quarantine managers to has almost 50-60% death rate. The major cause the family of the quarantined
Monthly Bulletin 26 May 2020 Combating Corona
c. Incentivized (wage compensated) from where the earning or a non-earning quarantine– pivotal adult family member is quarantined. i. Direct cash transfer by smart IT based methods for compensating the lost To conclude, from the people’s perspective, wages of the quarantined people. till a safe and efficacious vaccine is available, a holistic humanitarian community intervention d. Dignified quarantine – plan is needed for the Indian urban slums, i. Avoid the words quarantine and replacing the spatial sealing off plans and isolations and use locally culturally chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine mass acceptable names such as “Social prophylaxis. The intervention must include shelters”, “Kind shelters” or equivalent. significantly enhanced numbers of testing ii. Top-class hygiene facilities without and using smarter methods of surveillance, compromise. coupled with early isolation of the infected iii. No naming and shaming of the cases to a common community quarantine quarantined and their family members. facility, which is secure, transparent in terms of iv. Cheering up and motivational governance and internal affairs, and dignified activities in the shelters – Television, for the quarantined individuals with necessary Movies, Internet, virtual motivational wage compensation for the daily wage workers, ambassador / celebrity visits by video who would constitute for the maximum number conferencing. of such quarantined individuals. An adequate e. Essentials and food appropriately supplied people-centric amendment of The Epidemic to the people under quarantine and their Act of 1897 coupled with the community level family members out of quarantine – run by interventions shall facilitate the pandemic local NGOs and civil society. control in India during and after the 6 weeks of nationwide lock down. f. Support for all the above measures for the family members left behind in the homes
Monthly Bulletin 27 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society
Epidemics in Ancient India: A Medical Perspective Nayana Sharma Mukherjee Associate Professor, Department of History, South Calcutta Girls’ College
The development of human societies lamities (daivam vyasana) from which the has suffered the depredations of infectious king had to protect his kingdom. One type diseases for thousands of years. Human of epidemic is referred to as maraka, that civilization has been as much affected by destroyed many lives. The text mentions contagious diseases as by wars, revolutions that an epidemic is considered by some and technological changes. Pathogens with teachers to be worse than a famine as it high impact that are easily communicable brings all activities to cease by causing the from human to human have caused dra- death or sickness of workers. matic population decline, political crises The Caraka Sa Monthly Bulletin 28 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society dogs; crop failure; turbulent water reser- The treatise also holds that war was an- voirs that overflow and frequent meteorite other cause for the devastation of a country. showers, thunder and earth tremors. The Some leaders are driven by greed or anger sun, moon and the stars are not clearly or delusion or pride to attack their own visible as they are shrouded by a patched, people or their opponents thinking them coppery or white cloud cover. There are to be weak. In such situations, people are terrifying sights and howling sounds. It attacked by rāk%asas and other creatures. is inhabited by people who are devoid of The term rāk%asas, some scholars would virtue, morals and good behaviour. argue, may not be taken literally as demons The fourth factor is seasonal aberra- but could imply germs as well. Conflict situ- tions, such as scanty or excessive rainfall, ations provide the ideal environmental con- extreme heat or cold, etc, represent the ditions for the transmission of contagions. vitiation of time (kāla) which also have their The transmission of the plague contagion ill effects on health. In unnatural weather in the case of both Athens and the Roman conditions, plants do not mature and wither empire referred to above, took place during away. They lose their natural attributes. wartime and was aided by the movement Consequently, plant-based foods (including of troops. medicines) become less potent. It is significant that the medical au- Therefore, when the four factors mani- thorities did not consider epidemics as fest such abnormalities, they bring about simply divine interventions brought upon epidemic diseases. The health hazards by the wrath of the gods. If people were of environmental pollution are very well forsaken by the gods, then the unethical known as the world at present is suffering policies and immoral conduct of leaders from the effects of environmental degrada- were responsible for it. Even the abnor- tion. malities in the seasons are attributed to The medical theorists have also at- unrighteous behaviour and conduct. It is tempted an understanding of underlying also noteworthy how weather anomalies causes of environmental degradation. The are related to pestilential outbreaks. When Caraka Sa Monthly Bulletin 29 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society pañcakarma therapy consisting of five service to those practising brahmacarya, procedures: vamana (medicine induced discussion of religious scriptures, and con- emesis), virecana (medicine induced purga- stant association with virtuous, spiritual tion), śirovirecana or nasya (errhine ther- and learned persons. These preventive apy), nirūhabasti (decoction enema) and therapies can ensure survival during a anuvāsanabasti (therapeutic enema with calamitous period. medicated oil). These constitute śodhana Despite this assurance, Ātreya, interest- therapy by which increased do%as are elimi- ingly, injects a word of caution. Preventive nated from the body allowing healing of the therapies can easily save lives during epi- tissues, cleaning of the śrotas (channels), demics provided the death of an individual improvement of digestion and enhancement is not predestined in this period. He forbids of mental functions. This should be followed the administration of elimination and by rasāyana cikitsā or rejuvenation therapy rejuvenation therapies to such patients. which aims at delaying the degenerative The question arises, therefore, how would process in the body and increasing mental the physician determine whether the pa- and physical strength. These preventive tient’s death is imminent? This may imply measures would enhance the capability that those with pre-existing health issues of the body (vyādhik%amatā) to resist the especially chronic diseases were regarded vagaries of the environment which is simi- as unsuitable for therapies and medica- lar to our understanding of improving the tions. In all probability, physicians may immunity of the body. have been wary of treating patients with However, an individual also needs to co-morbidities, which is a term being used guard against invasive diseases that arise commonly in our present context. On the from external stimuli, whether from poi- other hand, in case of unsuccessful treat- son, wind, fire, or demonic possession, etc., ment, the physician may have attributed which are all instances of prajñāparādha the failure to the patient’s death being or acting against wisdom. Envy, anger, predestined during the epidemic. pride, hatred, etc., are harmful emotional The therapeutic measures during states that also arise from violation of epidemics involved a mixture pharmaceu- good judgement. They can be prevented tical, prophylactic as well as propitiatory by restraining the senses, being mind- regimens. The Arthaśāstra also states that ful, and by adopting the good conduct of physicians went about in the towns distrib- living (sadv\tta). Hence, Ātreya advises uting medicines while saints and ascetics that the following should be practiced were busy adopting religious remedies. It during times of epidemics: truthfulness, is significant that theCaraka Sa During a famine, the king should make a store of seeds and foodstuff and show favour (to the subjects), or (institute) the building of forts or Water-works with the grant of food, or share (his provisions) with them, or entrust the country (to another king) Kautilya’s Arthashastra, 1V/3/17 Monthly Bulletin 30 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society Epidemics in Late Antiquity and the Medieval World Rila Mukherjee, Professor of History, University of Hyderabad This note captures dynamics between mobility, famine, and disease in Egypt, Byzantium and the Frankish empire; and the Sassanid (224-651), Rashidun (632-661), Umayyad (661-750), Abbasid (750-1450) and Carolingian (751-888) domains. The Ptolemaic port of Clysma, close to modern where Axumites offloaded their India goods. The Suez, later part of the Roman Empire, continued importance of Clysma to Rome, Byzantium and into the Byzantine and Arab periods. Located at the India, and its connections with the Horn of Africa crossroads of Sinai, Palestine and Egypt, Emperor and Ethiopia, is seen from the fact that in response Trajan’s (r. 98-117 CE) Nile-Red Sea canal linked to Axum’s appeal for aid in its war with Himyarite Clysma to the Mediterranean region (Figure 1). Yemen c.525, Byzantine Emperor Justin I (518- Better known as a military installation, Clysma 27) sent 20 vessels from Clysma. Also, 2 ships was not mentioned in the Periplus Maris Erythraei. from Berenike, and 9 from India aided Axum, But contemporaries noted its excellent harbour, and evincing India’s need to keep maritime channels Clysma’s trade increased after 292 when Emperor open between Egypt, southern Arabia, and Africa. Diocletian destroyed Koptos, the Nile emporium. Partly because of this mobility, the Plague of From Koptos goods were transported overland to the Justinian (541) that ravaged the Mediterranean Red Sea ports of Myos Hormos and Berenike. Now, basin until the late eighth century entered through with regional mobilities disrupted, Clysma became Clysma, and spread to the Egyptian town of an entrepôt. Recorded on the Tabula Peutingeriana, Pelusium. Contemporaries saw the plague coming its trade reached peaked in the fourth-fifth centuries. from Egypt, either from the trans-Saharan trade Egeria’s c.382 account describes it as ‘a port for routes in East Africa, or through merchant ships India’: ‘it receives ships from India, for ships coming sailing the Indian Ocean. Whatever its route, from India can come to no other port but this in Justinian’s plague spread rapidly, and by 547 Roman territory…ships there are numerous and sparked epidemics as far away as England and great, since the official…known as the logothete has Ireland. It raged for 4 months at Constantinople, his residence there, (and) goes on an embassy each killing as many as 10,000 a day (Procopius) and year to India by order of the Roman Emperor, and claimed 300,000 victims (Evagrius Scholasticus). his ships lie there’ (Mayerson 1993:174). The plague spread to the Frankish kingdom in the This is factually incorrect. Clysma did not 580s and 590s, striking Narbonne, Marseilles, trade directly with India. In late antiquity Clysma Lyons, Dijon, Bourges, Avignon, Angers and became an entrepôt through a new navigation Nantes (Gregory of Tours). The region was pattern wherein Egyptian shipping no longer badly affected by food shortages and urban sailed regularly to peninsular India but remained riots. Many of the affected towns were ports, in the Red Sea, thus not having to depend on these being contact zones where goods, ideas, the southern Red Sea’s southerly winds during peoples and diseases met. This ‘globalisation’ of the later part of the northeast monsoon for the Late Antiquity, with growing connectivities and return voyage. ‘India’ referenced the Axumite mobility, turned out to be a disaster for Byzantium kingdom of Ethiopia as Axumite shipping linked and Merovingian Europe. After the fall of the Clysma to the India trade, Clysma being a port Roman Empire, the level of interaction between Monthly Bulletin 31 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society Europe, Asia and Africa fell sharply, and so did The Umayyad Caliphate established by the rate of biological exchange (McNeill 2003:36). Mu’awiya (661-80) ruled over a large space (figure 2). Under its 90-year rule, plagues were recurrent—approximately 19 ṭawa‘īn, 6 of which were known as ṭā‘ūn jārif (severe plagues) (AlFalasi 2020). One reason for the recurrence of plague was the caliphate’s mobility in a region bordered by a particularly virulent plague foci. While the ‘asabiyah’ or nomadic spirit of his Umayyad clan contributed to the caliphate’s ascendance, once in power Mu‘awiya moved the capital from Kufa (Iraq) to Damascus (Syria), established a settled society, ended election of caliphs by consensus as had been the Rashidun practice, promulgated a hereditary principle of succession, and reformed and centralised the bureaucracy in Syria. Unable to rely on Arab tribal systems or peninsular traditions to administer to an expanding empire, he depended on Greek merchant families and adopted the existing administrative machinery of Byzantium, including its imperial customs and bureaucracy. Although the Abbasids are credited with inaugurating Figure 1: Red Sea region: 1st-3rd cent. CE an Arab renaissance by fusing Graeco-Persian showing Clysma, Koptos, Myos Hormos & scientific and philosophical principles with Arab Berenike (from Thomas 2012:189) thought, it was actually the Umayyads who started Two major plagues are recorded for the a cultural fusion between the two traditions. Sassanid period: the Plague of Shirawayh at However, despite some measure of intellectual the imperial capital Ctesiphon (627/8), and tolerance, this was also an expansive polity, Yezdigird’s Plague (sometime between 630s waging unceasing war on Christian Byzantium and 640s). Chinese sources for 638 attest to the and overseeing military expansion in North Africa, presence of rats (Dols 1974:376). In the Rashidun Iberia and Central Asia. Despite disputes over hereditary succession, the caliphate continued طاعون :Caliphate, the Plague of Amwas (Arabic romanised: ṭāʿūn Amwās or Emmaus), to consolidate power, establishing Arabic as its ,عمواس was a bubonic plague that afflicted Islamic Syria official language, introducing a postal system and then Iraq and Egypt in 638-39. Probably a and Muslim coinage, and continuing its wars re-emergence of Justinian’s plague and preceded against Byzantium. With imperial consolidation, by a severe famine, it was named after Amwas Arabs replaced Greek and Persian officials. In in Palestine, the principal Arab camp. It killed 712 the Umayyads sailed into the Persian Gulf 25,000 soldiers and their families, including most and conquered Sindh. Further eastern expansion of the army’s high command, caused considerable was halted by the Tangs at the Battle of Asksu displacement and loss of life among the indigenous (717). Following a series of revolts caused by Christian population of Syria, and resulted in price financial crises, feuds and factionalism in the 740s hikes, hoarding and more famine, prompting the Umayyads collapsed. In 756 a new Umayyad Caliph Umar to prohibit hoarding. He appointed dynasty under the rule of Abd ar-Rahman was Mu’awiya as Syria’s military commander, thus established in Spain in Córdoba. Lasting until paving the way for the rise of Umayyad power. 1492, it would be battered by plague from 1349. Monthly Bulletin 32 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society Figure 2: The Umayyad Caliphate and Byzantium (www.gohighbrow.com) The term ‘plague’ is ambiguous, as is One of the most severe epidemics was the ṭā‘ūn ‘epidemic’ which can be any form of disease al-Basra (683). Another was Basra’s ṭā‘ūn al-Jarif whose spread achieves massive proportions. (688/9) lasting 3 days. Each day saw approximately There are two Arabic words in sources defining between 70,000 and 73,000 deaths. People who survived this ṭā‘ūn may have lost up to 40 family (طاعون) an outbreak or epidemic. The first is ṭā‘ūn Ṭā‘ūn was used for members in a single day. As port-city Basra was .(وباء) and the second is wabā outbreaks usually accompanied by the swelling of particularly vulnerable, epidemics and famines lymph nodes, and black skin patches, matching a being recorded for 698/9, 705/6, 718/9, 737 and strain of bacteria known as Yersinia pestis, as in 747, similarly for the fluvial Iraqi port-cities of the fourteenth-century plague. The word is derived Kufa (669, 672/3, 679, 699, 705/6) and Wasit .(to stab) and jinūn (705/6, 732), and al Fustat or Cairo (689, 699 :طعن) from two words, ṭaʿana ,a spirit). The victims of ṭā‘ūn combined Affected regions included al-sham or Levant (684 :جنون) these two words as being stabbed by jinn or an 698/9, 714, 733, 743, 744), Misr or Egypt (685/6, unseen spirit due to the severe blisters and rashes 699, 704, 723, 743), al Hijaz or Arabia (698/9), that accompanied the plague. One the other hand, Syria (676, 698, 725, 733/4), and Ifriquiya or the word wabā is a generic term for an outbreak Africa (743). The frequent recurrences consistently such as pestilence, or epidemic. With an uncertain undercut natural population growth in Syria- origin of the word, it could mean anything from Palestine, the Umayyad centre. Concurrently, Arab plague to smallpox. Unlike ṭā‘ūn which causes tribal migrations into the far eastern province of affliction directly to the body, wabā is defined as Khurasan, which was apparently spared, led to a speed of death through the corruption of one’s lopsided growth and predominance of the eastern environment or the body and can encompass half of the caliphate and the rise of the Abbasid various forms of catastrophes such as smallpox, movement there which toppled the Umayyads measles, droughts and floods (AlFalasi 2020). in 750. Monthly Bulletin 33 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society Figure 3: Growing land-sea Abbasid connections Plagues slowed down with Abbasid advent who occurred throughout the ninth century. There were used this as manifestation of divine providence some 10 to 14 livestock plagues, the majority and as endorsement of their rule that lasted almost affecting cattle—801, 809/10, 820, 860, 868-70, seven centuries, although the 1258 Mongol attack 878, 939-42 and possibly 842/3 and 849; 5 equine on Baghdad effectively finished off Abbasid power epizootics in 791and 896; and cattle and sheep (Dols 1974:380). Excepting minor plagues, the plagues in 887 (Newfield 2012). only severe epidemic was the fourteenth-century As connectivities grew between the two plague, which was reportedly introduced to empires, Caliph Harun al Rashid presented Europe via Genoese traders from their Crimean Charlemagne in 801/07 a golden (actually port-city of Kaffa in 1347. brass) water clock: ‘whose dial was composed The halt in plague rose, not from lessening of twelve small doors representing the division connectivities (indeed figure 3 shows greater of the hours; each door opened at the hour it was networks), but from two unrelated factors: shift intended to represent, and out of it came the same of the capital to the East, farther from the coast number of little balls, which fell one by one, at and closer to the overland Silk Routes which were equal distances of time, on a brass drum. It might free from contagion, the Turks claiming they had be told by the eye what hour it was by the number never experienced plagues or earthquakes (Dols of doors that were open; and by the ear, by the 1974: 373); and better sanitation and public number of balls that fell. When it was twelve health, rise of specialised medicine, hospitals and o’clock twelve horsemen in miniature issued at medical personnel. Historical bias seen in writers the same time and, marching round the dial, shut such as al-Ṭabarī (d. 923) exaggerated Umayyad all of the doors’. catastrophes to indirectly warn Abbasid caliphs C. 830, when the Islamic Golden Age was not to make the same mistakes since these are well underway, Byzantine Emperor Theophilos usually portrayed as divine punishment. However, sent John the Grammarian to Abbasid Caliph Baghdad experienced violence following severe al-Ma’mun. John’s mission took place after the famines in 949, 959, and in 971 when 17,000 Byzantine plague of 746/7 which had affected died. Coterminous Carolingian Europe did the caliphate’s borders and shows that absence of not experience plagues, but animal pestilences epidemics made such missions possible. Monthly Bulletin 34 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society Image 1: John the Grammarian before Theophilos & al-Mamun (Source: Wikimedia Commons) AlFalasi Nasser. 2020. ‘The Islamic Historical Narrative McNEILL, J. R. 2003. ‘Europe’s Place in the Global On Plagues’, Health, History, March 22 https:// History of Biological Exchange’, Landscape sailemagazine.com Research, 28,1: 33-39. Dols, Michael W. 1974. ‘Plague in Early Islamic Newfield, T. 2012. ‘A Great Carolingian Panzootic: History’, Journal of the American Oriental Society, The Probable Extent, Diagnosis and Impact of an 94, 3: 371-83. Early Ninth-Century Cattle Pestilence’, Argos, 46: Mayerson, Philip. 1993. ‘A Confusion of Indias: Asian 200-210. India and African India in the Byzantine Sources’, Thomas, Ross I. 2012. ‘Port communities and the Journal of the American Oriental Society, 113, Erythraean Sea trade’, British Museum Studies in 2:169-74. Ancient Egypt and Sudan 18: 169-99. Monthly Bulletin 35 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society The Plague in Calcutta, 1898-1900 Nikhiles Guha Professor (Retd.), Department of History, Kalyani University and Life Member of The Asiatic Society History offers many lessons. Thus it is but not allayed. Swami Vivekananda was extremely natural that sitting in this corona-infested city upset on hearing this. He was recovering from my mind travels back about a hundred and the effects of influenza in Darjeeling. In a letter twenty-five years ago when the city was afflicted to Miss Josephine MacLeod on 29 April 1898, by similar pestilence. he wrote: ‘If the plague comes to my native Plague broke out in Maharashtra in the city, I am determined to make myself a sacrifice; middle of 1896 and by the end of 1898 claimed, and that I am sure is a “Darn sight”, better way 1,75,000 lives by government estimate. The to Nirvana ”than pouring oblations to all that government resorted to the most draconian ever twinkled”.' (The Complete Works of Swami measures to prevent it. The contemporary Vivekananda, Vol VIII, p. 451). On May 3 he newspaper Dnyan Prakash wrote in its issue of reached Belur Math and was immediately seen 15 March 1897 : “The streets were blockaded; drafting and writing a manifesto in Bengali and shops were broken open in Rand’s (i. e. the Hindi, promising to help those who appealed, Plague Commissioner’s) presence and, the specially the poor and helpless. Distribution of whole proceeding resembled the sacking of a these in the form of leaflets created a problem conquered town”. The same paper wrote in its because the people were so anti-government issue of 12 April that year, ‘[Suspected or even that they suspected the monks were secretly apparently healthy persons] are carried away paid by the government for distributing these. to the segregation camp under a grand military When asked, where the funds would come escort as if they were prisoners of war. ’ Even the from? Swamiji replied : ‘Why? We shall sell the modesty of women was violated. Public opinion newly-bought Math grounds, if necessary! was outraged as a result. On June 22, 1897 Rand We are Sannyasins, we must be ready to sleep and his deputy Lieutenant Ayerst were killed under the trees and live on daily Diksha as we in Poona in broad daylight by the Chapekar did before. What! Should we care for Math and brothers,-- Damodar, Balkrishna and Basudeo,-- possessions when by disposing of them we who were hanged as a result. could relieve thousands suffering before our The plague made its first appearance in eyes. ’ The disciples of Ramakrishna Paramhansa the Baghbazar area in the northern part of the had lived on alms for a time after the Master’s city the following March. News of the steps the death. The Math grounds had been purchased government had taken to prevent the spread only in March 1898 but Swamiji was ready to of plague in Bombay caused a panic among the sell them, if needed, to fight against the plague. local people. Three-fourth of the inhabitants Fortunately no such drastic action was needed, of Calcutta were said to have left the city as for the plague was restricted to a few cases and a result. The rumours were unfounded. The the government hospitals could effectively deal government from its past experience showed with them. Swamiji himself left for North India much greater moderation. But, people’s fear was at the end of the month (May 1898). Monthly Bulletin 36 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society The plague returned to Calcutta with all its proper course to be followed. They used to venom the following March. On Vivekananda’s meet on Sundays at the Ramakrishna Mission instructions, a Plague Relief Committee was to submit reports of their work to Sister Nivedita set up on 31 March, 1899 with Sister Nivedita and received instructions from her until the as the President and Secretary and Swami epidemic subsided. She did not hesitate to Sadananda, one of Swamiji’s earliest disciples, as sweep the streets one day when she did not the Chief Officer. He was to be assisted by Swami have the necessary number of volunteers. The Shivananda, Nityananda and Atmananda. To boys of the area were so ashamed at this that encourage the relief workers and embolden the they rushed to her and promised to keep the people Swamiji went to live in the slums during streets clean in future. Dr. Radha Govind Kar, an this period. Sanitation received utmost attention. eminent physician of that time and author of a Swami Sadananda set a personal example by book on plague, has left behind his impression undertaking to clear a dumping ground of its of Nivedita in the following words : garbage. When the scavengers refused to do "During this calamity the compassionate the work, he picked up a basket and shovel and figure of Sister Nivedita was seen in every street started to clean the ground. After a time, they of the Baghbazar locality. She helped others felt so ashamed that they requested the Swami with money without giving a thought to her to stop and took up the task themselves. The own condition. At one time when her own diet Swami then disinfected the place. Slums in consisted only of milk and fruits, she gave up four districts of the cities were cleared of filth milk to meet the medical expenses of a patient." and garbage and disinfected by scavengers By the middle of 1899 when the plague working under the direction of the Swamiji. The had abated somewhat, both Vivekananda and scavengers were paid for their work. On 6 April, Nivedita left for Europe and America to secure 1899 The Statesman published a letter by Sister funds for the organisation. Swami Sadananda Nivedita describing the relief work carried out by was left alone to face the plague when it the Ramakrishna Mission and appealing for help. reappeared in Calcutta in 1900. The Indian That very day, Dr. Niel Cook, the Health Officer Mirror of 29 April 1900 wrote : ‘The Ramakrishna of Calcutta, went to meet her and the Chartered Mission… plague volunteers… are to be met Bank sent her a congratulatory note and Rs. 50 within Calcutta in the dirtiest streets and in the form of a cheque. By government order, filthiest bustees, helping to clear plague spots, Mr Bright, Chairman of The Government’s Plague encouraging the people, consoling them in Committee, also went to meet Nivedita. She their affliction and teaching them to live clean was happy that the government officials were lives. And this is done without the expenditure responding to her call for help. of much money’. Swami Sadananda also On April 2 Nivedita spoke to the students distinguished himself in the relief operations at the Classic Theatre on ‘The Plague and the that were carried on in Bhagalpur when plague Duty of Students'. Vivekananda presided over broke out there in the winter of 1904. the meeting in spite of ill health. He rebuked the students for not having done anything till then in fighting the plague, though many words had References been expended on it. His words had the required Basu, Shankari Prasad (ed.), Letters of Sister Nivedita, effect. Fifteen students volunteered for service. 2 vols. They were organised into groups for distribution —, Nivedita Lokmata, vol 2 of sanitary literature in a door-to-door inspection Life of Swami Vivekananda by His Eastern and Western of certain slums and advised inmates as to the Disciples Pravrajika Atmaprana, Sister Nivedita Monthly Bulletin 37 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society Pandemics in Indian History: An Online Colloquium Mrunmayee Satam, Urban Historian and Visiting Faculty, Amity University, Mumbai Babasaheb Kambale, Assistant Professor, Satish Pradhan Dnyanasadhana College, Thane, Maharashtra Disease outbreaks in the past have altered health and medicine. It is only in the past couple societies forever. Pandemics have a deep impact of decades, the field has received significant on the social, economic and political conditions attention. Furthermore, considering the present across the globe. In the words of Frank Snowden, public health crisis, we thought it was crucial to “Epidemics are a category of disease that seem initiate a critical dialogue on the pandemics in to hold up the mirror to human beings as to who Indian history. We also realized that instead of we really are. ” Therefore, it does not come as a waiting for ‘normalcy’ to return, it was important surprise when governments and analysts are that a discussion was initiated during the ongoing looking at the past to find answers to current public health crisis. This resulted in us organizing problems. The Covid-19 pandemic has similarly an online colloquium titled, ‘Pandemics in Indian directed expert lenses towards the diseases that History’ on 11, 12 and 18 April 2020. ravaged the globe in history, to identify effective Spanning over three days, a total of 7 measures in an attempt to manage the rapid presentations were made by historians from spread of the novel corona virus. India and other parts of the world. The details For long, historians and scholars working of the same have been mentioned below in a on colonial India overlooked the history of tabular format: Arun Bandopadhyay Mrunmayee Satam Prashant Kidambi Historical & Archaeological Secretary, Urban Historian and Visiting Faculty, Associate Professor, University of Leicester (UK) The Asiatic Society Kolkata Amity University (Mumbai) Monthly Bulletin 38 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society The event began with Professor Bando-padhyay summarizing the brief history of Covid-19 and analysing the impact of the pandemic on the future. He argued that the urge to identify similarities between Covid-19 and other Vivek Neelakantan Babasaheb Kambale Historian of South East Asia Assistant Professor, SPDS College, Thane pandemics results in creation of blind spots. Therefore, emphasizing on the need to see the differences. Professor Bandopadhyay further elaborated on the wide range of long-term consequences the world will have to face, following the current public health crisis. He also made Bhushan Arekar Ranjit Kandalgaonkar a pertinent point that 2020 Assistant Professor, R J College, Mumbai Artist and Researcher might mark the real beginning of the twenty-first century, dividing the world of Locality: Plague, pythogenesis and the poor in two time periods, before Corona (BC) and in Bombay, c. 1896-1905’ provided the audience after Corona (AC), the full implications of which with a nuanced understanding of the spread will be comprehensible only in the future. In of bubonic plague in the city. He began with the discussion that followed, the usage and an interesting observation put forth by P. C. H. many meanings of the term ‘war’, particularly in Snow, the Municipal Commissioner of Bombay, relation to tackling a pandemic were put forth about the similarity between the movement and elaborated upon. This session proved to be of rats and the direction in which the disease an ideal start point for the online colloquium as spreads geographically across the city; which was it set the ball rolling for a comparative analysis later scientifically acknowledged as the rat-flea particularly of the bubonic plague of 1896 and theory of plague. Kidambi further explored the Spanish flu with Covid-19. Second in line was Dr importance of the sanitary workers (particularly Satam, who spoke about Bombay’s experience the Halalkhors and Bigaris) and their contribution with the influenza pandemic of 1918-19. She towards containing the spread of the epidemic. He argued that the caste status of the individual elaborates on the various methods implemented was of fundamental importance in his/her by the Municipal Commissioner to exert control chances of recovery from the disease. This was over the frontline workers, when they threatened highlighted by critically evaluating the class, to strike. In his analysis, Kidambi highlights the caste, community and religious biases evident explicit class bias in the nature of various policies in the medical relief measures undertaken by and measures implemented by the colonial the civil society in Bombay city. In the dialogue state. The presentation also emphasized on how following the presentation, questions relating to the bubonic plague on the one hand ruthlessly the origin, nature and direction of the influenza exposed the unequal power structure in the pandemic in Bombay were discussed in great colonial urban space; and on the other proved detail. to be a way in which the colonial authorities got Dr Kidambi’s presentation titled, ‘An Infection to know the city well. During the discussion, a Monthly Bulletin 39 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society number of theories about the source and spread aspect, existing social apparatus and religious of the plague epidemic were highlighted. Next connotations. During the discussion, Kambale up was Dr Vivek Neelakantan who spoke on how further elaborated on the nature and content international politics surrounding provision of of the literature surveyed, and the roots of the public health had a definite impact on the Indian popular belief systems associated with it. subcontinent. While elaborating on the work On 18 April, Ranjit Kandalgaonkar gave a undertaken by the Rockefeller Foundation, Dr fascinating talk titled, ‘Drawing the Bombay Neelakantan focused on the impact of global Plague’. The talk was based ona part of his economic systems on public health policies in art exhibition displayed at the Well come the interwar period. For the post-independence Collection in London, an outcome of Inlaks- period, the paper offered fresh perspectives on Shivdasani/ Wellcome Trust funded Gasworks the impact of geopolitical developments like artist residency. Kandalgaonkar argues that the Indo-Pak War and non-aligned movement the plague becomes a stage for the ‘authorities on India’s public health policy. In the discussion practicing colonial theatre’. In response, his round, the scope for critical evaluation of the art work focuses on the idea of alternate success of the international organizations in representation of the plague by moving away the management of public health was ardently from the colonial archive and providing a voice appreciated. to the general masses. He relies heavily on the Foucault’s writings on government ality coverage offered by the local press, particularly and dispositif (apparatus)of biopolitical security the ‘Hindi Punch’ to construct his narrative. have been central to the work done by health Kandalgaonkar describes his “drawing or the historians across the globe. Dr Bhushan Arekar’s image created itself as a record in process; a presentation was aimed at understanding form of encapsulating another reality of the how Foucauldian concepts such as ‘the great plague episode”. In the discussion round, a confinement’, ‘disciplinary power’, and ‘bio number of issues, concepts and methodologies power’ can be analysed with a particular focus were discussed in great detail. Prominent on the pandemics in the past. The discussion among them was a methodological question: that followed was crucial in highlighting the use of a comprehensive drawing based on challenges in implementing these concepts to archival records, and then the interpretation the study of the history of pandemics in Indian of facts based on the art work. Responding society, both colonial and post-colonial, and to the question,Kandalgaonkar put forth an Arekar accepted the idea of the scope of such important idea of giving back to the archives. As theoretical elaboration. Day two concluded with researchers, we gain a lot from the archives and a presentation made by Babasaheb Kambale therefore for him, the art work becomes a way who looked at the representation of cholera in which he contributes back to it. and small pox in 19th century Marathi literature. The event was attended by over 50 people For his analysis, Kambale focussed on two books from across the globe. It included students, titled - ‘Jarimari Vishayi’(1845)and ‘Gayicha professors, bureaucrats and researchers from Devichi Utpatti’ (1812), which can be translated variety of fields. Some of the questions posed by as ‘About Cholera’ and ‘The Origin of Small Pox’ the members of the audience were extremely respectively. The presentation touched upon stimulating and provided an appropriate issues such as: (i) association of epidemics with direction to the question and answer round. We Indian goddesses and therefore the importance would like to point out some of the key issues of gender roles, (ii) social and political agendas of discussed: firstly, while comparing the Covid-19 the authors or the publishing houses involved, pandemic to diseases in the past, attempts were and (iii) contemporary understanding of the made to understand both the convergences disease from three perspectives: the medical and divergences involved;secondly, focusing Monthly Bulletin 40 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society on the similarities between the past and the perspectives that often go underrepresented present, it was noted that events such as in the existing historiography were tackled in mass migration, violence amongst the various greater detail during the course of the event. A ranks of the society, and the role played by need was felt for such events to be organized fear, panic and rumours, have been constant in the near future, which will facilitate greater throughout the course of history; thirdly, critical dialogue on the topic. there was a considerable analysis made on Overall, the online colloquium was a great the way in which colonial records were used success. The feedback received from the and the importance of regional sources to participants was extremely encouraging. In reconstruct the social history of epidemics was conclusion, there is little doubt that the field stressed upon;fourthly, considering most topics of health histories will receive a considerable focussed on the colonial period, attempts boost as a direct consequence of the Covid-19 were made to understand the impact of the pandemic deliberations, those already made and Indian national movement on public health in the process of being posited, and also those policies;lastly, class, caste and gender, three stored for the future. When Savitribai fought plague Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/rmcHi6TZFfWp2TPQ9 Monthly Bulletin 41 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society Corona's Colossal Casualties: Human Trafficking of Migrant Workers Satyajit Das Gupta, Director, Post-Graduate Diploma Course in Counselling Legal Aid Services, West Bengal “Migrants are most vulnerable to abuse and exploitation in situations and places where the authority of the State and society is unable to protect them, either through lack of capacity, applicable laws or simple neglect...... migrants are highly vulnerable when people are on the move...... this vulnerability persists while migrants are dislocated from community and family support structures, and are thereby typically without access to legitimate forms of employment, legal status and social protection. The risk is further increased when migrants move or work through irregular channels, where their irregular status puts them entirely at the mercy of opportunists who may seek to take advantage of their desperate circumstances.” [Excerpted from the Report compiled by Fiona David, Katharine Bryant and Jacqueline Joudo Larsen for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Geneva, 2019] There are a couple of axiomatic universal in the electronic media, receiving, though truths about human trafficking and the current rather inadequately, food and temporary shelter Covid 19 pandemic is most likely to validate mostly in state-run outfits. Not just these hapless one of the more prominent ones among them: workers, there are also millions of construction hungry and vulnerable women and girl and labour who have got stranded at their work boy children becoming easy preys of traffickers sites and also a huge number of others, mostly who must be operating away to glory all over child labourers, whom their employers have the places of the former's unsafe migration. abandoned in factories and other work places. It took quite a while for the Indian union and It doesn't require any special insight to presume state governments to realize that the country's that varied shades of vulnerability, deceit, abuse 'pandemic lockdown' has indeed resulted in and exploitation will keep compounding for an immense human tragedy1 wherein huge these poor, marginalized and disadvantaged segments of mostly casual and informal sector fellow citizens and child cohabitants of ours migrant labourers became hopelessly compelled to engulf and trap them in quagmires and to come out on streets, clamouring for assistance whirlpools of trafficking machinations. in their bid to going back home in the midst of Such apprehensions have already been near-total shutdowns of inter-state transport expressed by seasoned journalists, academic systems. We all have been watching on almost experts and established civil society observers all regional and national TV channels visuals who have been involved in covering and showing endless streams of these migrant analyzing trafficking-related and other varieties workers travelling mostly on foot hundreds of of human service work in their respective fields.2 miles to reach their destinations totally unaided In this specific context, a pointed reference for a considerable period of time at the outset may be made to a recent ILO-sponsored study and then, following sustained coverage mainly that goes on to establish that “migrant workers Monthly Bulletin 42 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society are especially targets of human trafficking and persons (IDPs) and/or engaged in protection forced labor, which have at their core, worker advocacy. These guiding principles and advices rights violations and a lack of labor standards have been prepared by the Anti-Trafficking and worker protections”. It has also been argued Task Team of the Global Cluster dealing with that “one of the biggest factors underlying the COVID 19 Pandemic, which is a consortium vulnerability of migrant workers” relates to “the of the UN Human Rights Council and some actions of unscrupulous labor brokers”. The study other leading international non-governmental also exposes “the pitfalls of labour migration for organizations. Remaining deeply concerned women domestic workers both within India and with the ways in which the evolving COVID-19 abroad and provides policy-makers and service pandemic may disproportionally impact providers with deeper insights into the nature “internally displaced trafficked persons and of forced labour and trafficking in the region”3 people at risk of trafficking”, the following What the machineries of public succinct observations have been made in administration and civil authorities have been this document: “ COVID-19 virus is impacting called upon to deal with in this unprecedented communities worldwide, disrupting State breakdown of inter-state technologies of functions, economic activities and livelihood governance in this country is a progressively options, as well as family and social networks, worsening situation of “internal displacement” including in areas already impacted by crisis of a gigantic segment of our working population. prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. This may The pandemic has unnerved and unsettled impact trafficking in persons in IDP settings in them all. An obvious element of fear of getting a number of ways: People previously less at risk retrenched from their present contractual of trafficking may become victims as a result of and/or casual occupations or facing almost an the pandemic while vulnerabilities of persons inevitably developing scenario of becoming already at risk of trafficking may be further jobless in the foreseeable future is making them exacerbated; Trafficked persons may struggle both restless and depressed with very little to access health care, information, protection or almost no solution-generating initiatives and support, during and after their trafficking in sight on the part of their employers in the experience. government or private sectors. This enmeshing II of uncertainty with a huge lack of confidence in the system of survival and sustenance provides My personal experience of directing and a breeding ground for all kinds of malpractices supervising field work for an ongoing anti- and malafide ventures of agencies that will trafficking academic-cum-action research now masquerade as saviors of misfortunes and programme, which we have been carrying out the migrant labourers in distress and difficult for a couple of years now in two of the most circumstances will be driven into their folds in prominent catchment areas of southern West almost a symbiotic feat of maladjustment. Bengal, has thrown up several interesting The obviously alarming implications of pointers to a host of victims' and survivors' this context of “internal displacement” of narratives of 'lived experience'. Especially, in migrant labour for trafficking have found the pre and post-Aila periods, our 'biographic critical reflections in the “COVID-19 Pandemic data' has shown a rather steep rise in both Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Considerations of the push and pull factors responsible for the March, 2020”, which aim at providing guidance involvement of 'family members' and 'panchayat on TIP considerations during the COVID-19 functionaries' and 'local police personnel' pandemic and are intended as a quick reference in sustaining varied trafficking rackets and tool to support experts and functionaries networks wherein disaster-driven economic working directly with internally displaced degradation and miseries have fed more than Monthly Bulletin 43 May 2020 Pandemic in History and Society adequately into the exploitative designs, both Crescent Societies, Geneva, 2017; ‘Children in of the coercive and consensual varieties, of a dog cage’: how corona virus puts Asia’s most the traffickers and their local associates and vulnerable at greater risk of homelessness, collaborators. In the secretly recorded words of human trafficking,This Week in Asia, Raquel mouth from a local associate of an upcountry Carvalho, April 5, 2020; The human cost of India's coronavirus lockdown: Deaths by hunger, trafficker who operates in southern West Bengal: starvation, suicide and more, Evangeline Elsa, “চাা ি রধ রিি গ ঁট আর বাঁধনটা আলগা হলে মেয়েছেলেদের World, April 15, 2020; Miseries of migrant labourers ফু ঁসলে নিতে সুবিধে হয় “ (Enticing women becomes worsen amid https://economictimes.indiatimes. easier in the midst of a loosening of knots and com/news/politics-and-nation/miseries-of- bindings all around). The Corona pandemic has migrant-labourers-worsen-amid-coronavirus- indeed created such conditions for the millions pandemic-and-lockdown/articleshow/75099573. of migrant workers who are now roaming cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_ around the streets and alleys of discontent in medium=text&utm_campaign=cppstcoronavirus utter deprivation. pandemic and lockdown, Charmy Harikrishnan, ET Bureau, April 11. 2020 at: Coronavirus in References India: Desperate migrant workers trapped in lockdown, Geeta Pandey, BBC News, Delhi , April 1 Report by Soutik Biswas, India Correspondent, BBC 22, 2020 at https://www.bbc.com/news/world- News, March 30, 2020 at https://www.bbc.com/ asia-india-52360757; Migrant Workers in the news/world-asia-india-52086274; Cities and Public Health Response to the Corona 2 The Cost of COVID-19 Lockdown: Rise in Bonded Pandemic in COUNTER CURRENTS.ORG at https:// Labour and Human Trafficking in India, Niharika countercurrents.org/2020/04/migrant-workers- Chopra, Outlook, April 13, 2020; The writer is in-the-cities-and-public-health-response-to-the- Director, Policy, at the Kailash Satyarthi Children's corona-pandemic; Foundation; Rights of Migrants in Action Global 3 Indispensable Yet Unprotected: Working Conditions Findings on Human Rights of Migrants, Human of Indian Domestic Workers at Home and Abroad, Trafficking and Domestic Labour Migration, ILO, Geneva, 2015 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Monthly Bulletin 44 May 2020 Sociology of Social Distancing Staying Home, Staying Alive? Chandrima Biswas Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Government General Degree College, Singur “Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human.” – Aristotle, Politics Any person attached to Sociology is Social group is described as collection of compelled to develop a predisposition towards individuals, defined by formal or informal criteria the sacredness of the above mentioned statement of membership, who share a feeling of unity and by the great Greek philosopher to the extent are bound together in relatively stable pattern to which any individual, policy or institution of interaction. Group living, even in its simplest is considered superfluous questioning this form, always requires norms or directives, be sacrosanct line. However, this lockdown period it in manifest or latent form. These directives accompanied by the mandatory distancing elucidate the behaviour pattern of its members, from social life, a phenomenon caused by the set of expectations that should be fulfilled by COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique social them and the form, frequency and goal of their condition which arouses scholastic curiosity. interaction. These social norms are far from In this time, individuals are living a completely static, responding to the needs and demands controlled life to the extent of regimentation, of changing time and contexts. But they never inside a confined place, home for most, whereas cease to exist albeit create the illusion of doing the outside world is going through a major so. transformative state and witnessing breakdown In modern society, a large portion of of prevailing social order. such normative orders has taken the form of regulation after being asserted by the Regulation: Too much or Too Less agencies in authority in order to manage The fact that human beings formed society in the complexities of advanced social life. The order to ensure safety of their species has given degree of regulation is crucial as we find many birth of many cultural practices celebrating scholastic discourses taking place on the said togetherness in myriad forms throughout the topic. Eminent sociologist Emile Durkheim history of human civilization. Solidarity, unity, discussed the relationship between the degree integration are words which are defined and of regulation on individual and suicidogenic redefined in various contexts related to group impulses being generated in the person, while life, be it the debate of homogeneity and giving a typology of suicide in his seminal work, heterogeneity, collectivism and individualism, Suicide. Excessive social regulations that restrict melting pot or salad bowl. Even throughout the individuation are detrimental for the existence continuum of political ideology, the company of of individual causing fatalistic suicide. Feeling and connection to another human being was controlled by the norms and values of group necessary precondition of living social life and/ life, the person becomes hopeless and wants or to rule. to escape these oppressive external forces. Monthly Bulletin 45 May 2020 Sociology of Social Distancing Complete absence of social regulation is also life— work, rest and entertainment. Life under destructive for individual as such periods of lockdown has first and foremost detained the disruption unleash currents of anomie— moods individual within the premise of one’s living of rootlessness and normlessness— and these space, blurring the boundary of these zones. currents lead to an increase in rates of anomic Individuals are instructed not to step outside suicide. Anomie may also include a sense home. Office, school, theatre, shopping mall that life is meaningless, where feelings of etc— are all shut. One is left with living with one’s purposelessness or powerlessness dominate. family members only. Although, in Goffman’s The period of lockdown presents a situation idea the concept of living in total institution is in where both degree of control can be observed. pertinent contrast to family life, the individual’s At one hand, we witness the implementation of experience of living with family members only extreme regulation as people are being forced to in a confined setting under compulsion is giving stay inside their house, devoid of almost all social rise to numerous reports revealing surge in contacts in physical world for indefinite period of domestic violence, depression and other mental time. Many people, worldwide, could not even hazards during this lockdown period worldwide. return to the place they call ‘home’ irrespective The pre-conceived notion about the comfort of class, caste, religion and gender. On the other, and convenience of life in home, especially what is stored for them in the future is unclear under compulsion, is therefore being questioned even at the level of policymakers, thanks to the demanding serious attention of social scientists spread of COVID-19 and the omnipresent threat and mental health professionals. of death it reinstated. Thus a complete absence The intriguing difference between living of directives is felt and lived every moment. A life in Goffman’s Asylums and the one in home state of anomie is thus emerged where old set under lockdown, is that in case of the former, of norms is no longer applicable and new set is the institutionalisation took place without ever yet to be formed. asking for the consent of the inmate, whereas in case of the latter the individuals are staying House or ‘Home’ within the boundary of one's home willingly due A state of living which is characterised to the threat of COVID-19. Goffman showed how by the compulsion of being confined in a individuals incapable of looking after themselves space accompanied by the insurmountable and/or who pose threat to the community are restrictions imposed on one’s movements kept inside barriers in case of total institution. creates a condition which is similar to that of a Following this basic rule of admission into total total institution, settings in which time and space institution, individuals voluntarily submitting of inmates are seemingly controlled completely themselves to regimented pattern of confined by staff, as Erving Goffman expounded. People life under lockdown, reveals an unabashed with contagious diseases (e.g. Tuberculosis) and/ acceptance on their part that they are incapable or those who are viewed as a threat to society of looking after themselves. Yet, their actions are (criminals and patients with mental illness) often not being immediately monitored by a group of become subject to such institutional care and people in the confined place unlike the case of supervision. TB sanatorium, mental hospital, asylum. Instead of personnel of total institution, leprosarium, prison are all examples of total here individuals are scrutinising their own action institutions. One can find resemblances between and behaviour on their own in order to remove the life of an inmate living in total institution and the danger to their existence. Interestingly, the that of a person experiencing lockdown period. threat here is not the inmate, that is, individuals The central feature of any total institution staying inside, but their interaction of any kind can be described as a breakdown of the kinds (barring virtual) outside the premise of one’s of barriers ordinarily separating three spheres of living space. The threat resides in the mind of Monthly Bulletin 46 May 2020 Sociology of Social Distancing the individual causing his/her submission to References extremely regulated life isolated from the web Aron, Raymond, 1979, Main Currents in Sociological of social relationships, which, before the strike Thought, New York: Penguin Books. of pandemic, used to be considered necessary, Durkheim, Emile, 2002, Suicide: A Study in Sociology, if not sufficient, condition of his/her existence. London: Routledge. Fear of death have caused the emergence Fine, Gary Alan and Philip Manning, 2003, “Erving of survival strategies everywhere leading to Goffman”, The Blackwell Companion to Major celebrated discoveries, be it in the sphere of Contemporary Social Theorists, Ritzer George (ed.), medical science or armed combat. Spread Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Limited. of COVID-19 has created a condition where Goffman, Erving, 1961, Asylums: Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates, New the very social nature of man is now being York: Doubleday Anchor. challenged and demands redefining. The Scott, John and Gordon Marshall (ed.), 2009, Dictionary extreme regulation of individual life can unfold of Sociology, Oxford: Oxford University Press. changes in social fabric worldwide, as Goffman's https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-52313434, work has showed, living in total institutions accessed on 26.04.2020. results in civil death or mortification of self— an https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/12/ attack on inmate’s self conception, the sense that domestic-violence-surges-seven-hundred-percent- we have of who we really are. uk- coronavirus, accessed on 26.04.2020. Monthly Bulletin 47 May 2020 Experience from Abroad Lockdown: 850 Hours and Counting... Sunandan Chakraborty, Assistant Professor, Data Sciences, School of Informatics and Computing , Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis A crack in everything the academic and the residential buildings are lying That’s how light gets in. vacant. The rest of the city is not much different. Busy Leonard Cohen neighbourhoods and commercial districts have no visitors, bars and restaurants are desperately trying Indianapolis is the capital and the largest city to survive and that is evident from the big banners in Indiana. I moved here from New York two years they have hung outside – “we are open, please help ago when I got a job at the Indianapolis campus us”. Even the state governor, in a public message, has of Indiana University. Like many other cities in urged the residents to help out the local businesses the US, the majority of the population lives in the as much as possible, moreover relaxing liquor laws suburbs and rely on their personal vehicles for and allowing local bars to sell beer and wine by their daily commute to downtown Indianapolis. the bottle. The downtown area thus witnesses a surge in the In these difficult times, some people are trying population during a workday and remains relatively novel ideas to keep their spirits high. As we drove empty at other times. Hence, the first glance of through a neighbourhood, we saw that the entire the city may not reflect the actual effect of this street is having a party without anyone leaving their lockdown. The real impact is visible and can be felt home. Somebody has brought out his drum set on as one goes deeper into the neighbourhoods. the front porch. While he practices, his neighbour is The state of Indiana was not among the first to grilling steaks in his front yard. Another group has feel the impact of this pandemic. The first case was placed chairs in an empty parking lot, maintaining a reported in mid-March, but by the end of the month safe distance with each other while sharing a drink. the number of cases in the city of Indianapolis Indianapolis today reminds me of a childhood was over a thousand. The governor of the state phenomenon called bandhs. Just like the current announced a total lockdown on March 23. Our lockdown period, those strikes came with a lot of university acted a little early and announced the hardship for daily wage earners and many others. complete shutdown of the campus and cancellation Those strikes ended after 24 hours, we just crossed of on-campus activities from March 16. I am 850th hour and still counting. fortunate to work on a research area that does not require fancy lab equipment. My research can survive just by having a reliable internet connection, so that I have access to my remote servers, can meet virtually with my collaborators and my students. Thus, this lockdown does not have a strong impact on my professional life. The effects of this lockdown are clearly visible on our university campus. The streets are always busy with students going from one building to another, the parking lots are full during a typical workday. The lockdown has remarkably changed this scene. The campus resembles a deserted town, Views from the balcony of our 12th floor where all the public places are completely empty, apartment. Monthly Bulletin 48 May 2020 Digital Initiatives Creating a Digital and Virtual Workspace for The Asiatic Society, Kolkata Dhiman Chakraborty, Controller of Finance, The Asiatic Society Offices across the country remained Meetings, particularly the Council Meetings closed for the entire month of April due to the and the meetings of the statutory committees nationwide lockdown declared as a preventive are an integral part of the Asiatic Society. The measure to contain the spread of Novel Corona deliberations and resolutions of the meetings Virus (Covid-19). The Asiatic Society, Kolkata set the ball rolling for initiating the activities also had to comply with the directives of the in line with the objectives of the Society. In government. In spite of this unprecedented times of need, when physical presence may not situation, some officials of the Society could be possible, such meetings can be organised manage to do some urgent work online, working through live online video-conferencing. The from their home to the extent possible. However, Society may avail the video conferencing service it can be very well predicted, that the social of NIC for this purpose or setup a platform itself distancing norms will be in place for quite some using popular video-conferencing software. time as we take exit from the lockdown. But as the saying goes, “The show must go on” and as The most important and a need of the hour, going forward, the Society frequent activities that can think of creating a Digital & Virtual Work- the Society undertakes space platform with the best use of technology are the Seminars, Lec- for accommodating its work process, document tures, Conferences, management, research & academic activities, Symposium, etc. which publishing, resource mobilization, knowledge witnesses renowned dissemination, surveillance system, etc. Let us scholars and academi- take a close look on how we can harness the cians with national and international repute as opportunities that technology provides us in speakers. Such events may be organised as building such a platform for different activities “Webinars” using webinar software with live of the Society. streaming of the events (Web casting). Partici- Monthly Bulletin 49 May 2020 Digital Initiatives pants to get e-invitations together with web notifications. The Society’s website may have a dedicated pop-up window for such Webcasts. All events may be archived for future viewing and can be accessed through the website. Such events can have participants from remote loca- tions, who otherwise may not have attended by physical presence. The next most vital area in the academic area is the Research Projects that the Society Days are not far when Libraries will exist undertakes on various themes and subject predominantly as Digital Libraries only matters by engaging Research Scholars. In a with E-Books & E-Journals. The Society may Digital & Virtual work-space, all activities relating progressively shift its emphasis from procuring to research projects like submission, review, books and subscription to journals from the presentation and publication of research project present physical form to digital formats. In the reports may be done online. Presentations on long run, the entire Library can be transformed the research projects by the research scholars into a full-fledged Digital Library. Books & Journals may be done through Viedo Conferencing in possession of the Library of the Society are mode. The research reports can be published already in the process of digitization. The target online in a separate section of the website of the may be set to convert all the physical collection Society. An archive of Research Project Reports of books & journals into digital library resources. may be created classified under the different The Society may subscribe to popular online Research Categories. Reports of all previous Journal Resources like JSTOR. The cataloguing of Research Projects may be included in the archive Library Books & Journals may be done through as far as possible in chronological order under Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) system the different categories. This archive will be a and integrated with the Digital Library. All valuable resource for references by the future these features will enhance the accessibility of scholars, researching on similar areas. the library resources and number of readers. Research Scholars may be provided with the Digitization of all facility of a dedicated chat window in the website manuscripts and rare for interactions and queries on availability of books & journals in reference materials for their researches. the collection of the The Museum of the Asiatic Society, Kolkata Society and creating has rich treasures but physical display of all a Digital Archive with its collections is not possible due to space the output compris- constraints. Aligning with the concept of Virtual es another big activ- Reality, we can think of having a Virtual tour of ity area and is gain- the Museum of the Asiatic Society. An interactive ing considerable significance with the passing Video of the Museum of the Society with 3D days. The task has already been initiated and in visualization can be created which can take the given scenario we need to step on the gas the viewers on a virtual tour of the Museum. in the Digitization Project. The digitization may The collections of the museum like important be done on priorities framed in the Digitization manuscripts, old European paintings, rare Policy. The archive may be made accessible to photographs & documents, sculptures, rock the users on payment basis. edicts, coins, lithographs, copper plates and other artefacts can find place in the Virtual Museum Monthly Bulletin 50 May 2020 Digital Initiatives with narrations having language options. The Central Public Procurement (CPP) portal is Virtual Museum may be accessed through the already operational for quite some time. From website of the Society as a pop-up window in the here, the Society may go ahead by implementing Museum page. Facilities for online comments by the E-Office Module developed by the NIC the visitors can be an added feature. The Society to strengthen its administrative functioning may organize virtual exhibitions on different on the digital platform. These may include themes with digital content of its resources for implementation of the following modules, viewing through the website. eventually leading to a paperless office: On the publication front, E-File Module the Society may empha- f o r n o t i n g , size on e-publishing by drafting, pro- having digital versions of posals & ap- all its publications. The provals; CAMS Module: Unified Collaboration books, journals and bul- and Messaging Platform; E-Leave: for leave ap- letins of the Society may plications & approvals and maintenance of leave be published in the elec- records; SPARROW: Smart Performance Ap- tronic format along with print versions and may praisal Report Recording Online Window; PIMS: be downloadable from the website against on- Workflow Based Employee Records Manage- line payment. Digital Marketing or E-Marketing ment System; E-Service Book, etc. of the publications may be a new avenue for With the Internet Protocol (IP) based CCTV promoting the books & journals of the Society. Surveillance System already installed, efforts can A very common and simple method of doing be made for remote surveillance by the Security this is by sending catalogues and flyers to the Officials to facilitate monitoring from remote potential buyers, particularly booksellers and locations on emergency basis. institutions using bulk mailing software. This electronic method of promoting the publica- The accounting func- tions will be much focused and is expected to tions of the Society are give better turn-around ratio in a cost-effective already on digital plat- manner. In the long run, the Society can also form but still needs think of on-demand print which is already in upgradation. Financial vogue in the publishing world. Online proof Transactions are per- reading and editing by the publication depart- formed through Public ment may also be implemented by installing Financial Manage- online proof reading and editing tools through ment System (PFMS) portal and Bharatkosh a standard protocol and building an interface (Non-Tax Receipt Portal). All the statutory returns with the proof readers, editors and printers. are made through designated government The Society is already performing quite portals which have become mandatory. A pay- a few administrative functions on the digital ment gateway is to be created through which platform, the most common being the email an individual or an organisation can make pay- communications and web notifications. Apart ments like membership fees, payment against from these, many statutory compliances and order for books or digital copy of manuscripts, reporting to the Ministry are done through etc. Preliminary talks on this issue with the State designated portals of the Government, Bank of India, Park Street Branch has already procurements through Government e-Market taken place. The Tally ERP 9 software which is Place (GeM) portal is in the process of already in use for accounting may be configured implementation and E-Tendering through Monthly Bulletin 51 May 2020 Digital Initiatives to provide remote access facility through the But the first and foremost requirement for server to enable working from other locations, having an integrated Digital & Virtual Work- if required for executing works of urgent nature. space is the orientation and training of the An efficient Data Storage and Data employees. Suitable training modules are to be Management System form the backbone of a prepared with both offline and online training Digital & Virtual Work-space. For this, the Society facilities. Such trainings will be both general and will need an efficient and integrated Document domain specific. The employees need to remain & Data Management System backed by powerful motivated and work as a team with a creative cyber security measures. The Enterprise Document mindset and collaborative approach. Management System (E-office KMS) Module of NIC may be implemented for ready accessibility As we embark on this of all documents in electronic format. Open transformational jour- source software like Alfresco can also be used ney we may recall what with necessary customization. This may be done the legendary Lebanese through the internal server, accessible through writer Kahlil Gibran said: the Local Area Network (LAN) or through Cloud “To understand the heart Computing for on-demand availability of digital and mind of a person, resources from remote locations. It will act as a look not at what he has repository of all digital documents of the Society. already achieved, but at what he aspires to”. THE ASIATIC SOCIETY Founded in 1784 (An Institution of National Importance declared by an Act of Parliament) and (An Autonomous Organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India) 1, Park Street, Kolkata- 700016 Phone : 2229-0779, 2249-7250,2229-7251, Fax: 033-2252-0600 Website: www.asiaticsocietykolkata.org Ref No: 38 Dated: 25.04.2020 C I R C U L A R This is for the information of the members, research scholars and staffs of the Society that the Library of the Asiatic Society, Kolkata has made necessary arrangements to uninterrupted online access to some of the subscribed journals of the Society during this lockdown period through User ID and Password. Some online text books are also available for viewing. Interested members, research scholars, and staffs are requested to send e-mail to [email protected] along with their membership details for availing this facility. This issues with the approval of the competent authority of The Asiatic Society, Kolkata By Order. Shri Ashok Jha, Junior Assistant of the Society retired from service on 30th April, 2020. He joined the Asiatic Society on 14th March,1986 and spent in the Society for more than 34 years with devotion. Shri Gobindalal Chatterjee, Junior Assistant of the Asiatic Society also retired from service on 30th April, 2020 after serving the Society for a long 34 years. He joined the Society on 20th March, 1986 and was a dedicated employee of the Society. The Asiatic Society, Kolkata wishes them both a long, happy and healthy retirement life. Monthly Bulletin 52 May 2020 Pursuit from Home আতঙ্ক, ইশা মহম্মদ, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি Monthly Bulletin 53 May 2020 Pursuit from Home আমার পরিচয় আজ পরিযায়ী শ্রক xöì¢y†þ†þy!hsýû ¤ylÄy¡– !˜ ~!¢ëûy!Øþ†þ ö¤y¤y¥z!Øþ ভু লতে হবে আমার শৈশব-কৈশ�োর হ্যা �নেছিলাম বটে পরিযায়ী পাখীর কথা 쇁খা সে প্রান্তর আমার সেই সুবর্ণরোর ধারে যারা ঘর ছেড়ে উড়ে যায় দেশ-দেশান্তরে অন্তর কি সায় দেয় ছ�োট্ট গ্ৰাম কালডিংগাকে। প্রকৃ তির নিয়মে। দু'মুঠ�ো অন্ন তরে ধু-ধু প্রান্তরে মাঠ ফাটা র�ো駍দুর প্রকৃ তি অপারগ তার চাহিদা মেটাতে। চলে যায় দূর দূরান্তর। পলাশের লেলিহান শিখা আমরা ত�ো চাই না লাল মাটির দেশ ছেড়ে জল ভরা চ�োখে সন্তানেরে রেখে আধ�খা শূন পুকু রের ধারে যেতে বদূরে ছেড়ে যদি যেতে পারি জন্মভূ মি কাল�ো মেঘঘন সন্ধ্যয় পতঙ্গের উ짍লস। য�োগ দিতে শ্রমিক কাজে। তায় নেই ক�োন�ো ক্ষভ মাটির ঘর নিকান�ো উঠ�োন যেতে হয় ছেড়ে সব আপনজনেরে যা কিছু তকমা লাগাও তু মি। ফু লমণি ইক ুল আঁকা শিখেছে মাত্র দু'মুঠ�ো খাবার জ�োগাড়ে। একটা কথা বলি �নুন বাবুরা পলাশের রঙে দেওয়ালে এঁকেছে পরিযায়ী পাখীকে রাখা যাবে নাক�ো যাদের কথা ভাব�োনি ক�োন�ো ক্ষ বনের পাখী বনেতে সুন্ তার নিজ বাসভূ মে দাগ কাটেনি কভু ত�োমাদের মনে যেমন সুন্ আমরা আমাদের গাঁয়ে। তাকে যেতেই হবে প্রকৃ তির ডাকে সব ছেড়ে আজ কেন এত দয়া �ধু �কন�ো কথায় ফাটা মাটি �খা জমি, নিরন দিন কার�ো দান কার�ো দয়ার অপে嗍ষ না করে। ল�োকে বলে বাবুরা সব পাচ淇 ভয় বাড়ন্ত ঘরে বা槍চাু'টারে রেখে তু মি যারে আজ বল�ো পরিযায়ী যদি পাছে আমরা কর�োনার বিষ ছড়াই। ফি বছর চলে যায় দু'জনে জন্মমুহূর্ত পেয়েছে সে অধিকার আমরা পাব�ো না খেতে দূরে ক�োন দেশে দু'বেলা পেটভরে খাওয়ার। কেউ নেই ম�োরে ঘরে নিয়ে যেতে। মাটি কাটা ইট গড়ার কাজে। বঞ榿ত হয়ে সে অধিকারে বসে আছি পথ চেয়ে আমাকে আজ বাবুরা বলছেন যদি আমি যাই দূরে চলে পরিযায়ী শ্রক তকমা নিয়ে আমি পরিযায়ী শ্রক সে দায় কি আমার? শেষে বলি ত�োমরা দেখ�ো যাতে এটাই আমার পরিচয়। হ�োক না �খা হ�োক না আমাদের সন্তান থাকে শাকে ভাতে। পরিযানের কাহিনি আশা নিরাশা অপু ও কাজল, ‘অপুর সংসার’, ১৯৫৯ দয়ারাম কু শওয়াহা ও শিবম, লকডাউন, ২০২০ স�ৌজন্붃 শ�ৌভিক বন㖦্যপাধ্যয় ও পিয়ালি চন Monthly Bulletin 54 May 2020 Pursuit from Home সামাজিক দূরত্ব ভবিষ্যত মানুষের সামাজিক সম্পর্ক আঘাত হানবে না ত�ো ? জগৎপতি সরকার, সংগ্রহালয় বিভাগ, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি আজ ককি বিশ্বসঙ্কটের মূলে যে ক�োভিড-১৯ ওপর বিশ্বাস হারান�ো পাপ' এ কথা সত্ থাকবে। নামে একটি মারাত্মক বিষয় সেটা এতদিনে পরিচিত আজ আমরা সকলেই আমাদের দেশের বার্ একই হয়ে গেছে সকলের কাছে। তার উপসর্, সংক্রমণ, পথের পথিক। আমরা বুঝতে পারছি এ দূরত্ব যাই নিরাময় নিয়ে বি燍ঞনী এবং চিকিৎসকদের মধ্য হ�োক না কেন তা �ধু আজকের, চিরকালের নয়। নিরন্তর আল�োচনাও চলছে প্রভূ ত। কিন্তু এখন�ো তবুও সংশয় থাকছেই। বি燍ঞানে কথায় ক�োন�োকিছু সেটা সমাধানের জায়গায় আসেনি। সবচাইতে যেটি প্রশ্নের সম্মুখীন হলে সে মনের মধ্য কয়েকটা বারবার বলা হচ淇 এটি দূর করার লক্ষ সেটি হচ淇 স맍ভাব সংশয় রেখেই যায়। আর এটাও সত্ যে সামাজিক দূরত্ব বজায় রাখা। অনেক সময় অবশ্ যে ক�োন�ো পরিস閿তিতেই মানুষের মন সবার আগে শারীরিক দূরত্বের কথাও বলা হচ淇। ধরা হয়েছে খ�োঁজে নিরাপ重ত। সেই নিরাপ重তাক সামনে রেখেই এই বার্তসমূহ উক র�োগ নিরাময়ের নিদান। সে আজকের এই সামাজিক দূরত্ব। অবশ্ই সে দূরত্ব যাই হ�োক, সামাজিক দূরত্ব বলে যে বিষয়টির কথা মনের নয়,শরীরের। আজ সারা দেশে প্রতিটি মানুষ এখানে উল্ল করা হয়েছে তার অর্ নানান রকমের যে গৃহবন্, ঘরবন্, নজরবন্ যাই বলি না কেন থাকলেও মূল অর্ একজন মানুষের থেকে অপর সেটাত�ো এই দূরত্বকে মেনে নিয়েই। এখন আমাদের একজন মানুষের কাছাকাছি থাকা নিষিদ্ধ। কমপক্ কাছে বদূরের মানুষ নিকট হয়েছে, ব দূরের দূরত্ব ১ মিটার বজায় রাখা। এটা অবশ্ই জ쇁রি কারণ সম্পর্ নিকট হয়েছে। আর নিকট হয়েছে দূর। আর বি燍ঞনসম্মত ভাবে এই র�োগটির সংক্রমণের প্রক�োপ বমীজীর কথায় বলতে গেলে বলতে হয় - "অর্ নয়, থাকে সেখানে কম। প্রথমদিকে এই বিষয় সম্পর্ক শারীরিক সুসতাই আমাদের সবচাইতে বড় সম্পদ। মানুষ খুব বেশি সজাগ এবং যত্নবান না থাকলেও একজন সুস ব্য醿 অর ্ উপার্জন সকম, কিন্তু চাইলেই এখন বুঝতে পেরেছে তার প্রয়�োজন অন뇀কার্। অর্ 駍বাা সুসতা অর্ন করা যায় না।" অবশ্ অনেক জায়গায় প্রশাসনিক হস্তক্পও করতে তাই আজ মানুষ তার জীবনের সুসতাকে বাজি হয়েছে সরকারি স্তর থেকে। রেখে সব কিছু মেনে নিচ淇। এমনকি মানুষের বা কিন্তু একটা প্রশ্ন থেকেই যাচ淇 যে এই দূরত্ব নিকট জনের মৃত্ যুতও সে তার দূরত্ব বজায় রাখতে সাময়িক হলেও আমাদের সমাজজীবনে তার কু 跍ঠ করছে না। এটার থেকে বড় আঘাত ত�ো আর সুদূরপ্রসারী প্রভাব পড়বে না ত�ো? �ধু তাই নয়, তার কিছু হতে পারে না। কিন্তু সমাজ কে ত�ো আমরা ফলে মানুষে মানুষে বিশ্বাস, ভাল�োবাসা, প্রতিবেশীর ভাঙতে দিতে পারি না। আমরা হারালাম অনেক কে, সঙ্গে প্রতিবেশীর সম্পর্ক ভাঙন ধরাবে না ত�ো? অনেক কিছুকে। হয়ত�ো সময় লাগবে অনেকখানি। সামাজিক দূরত্ব মানুষের মনের দূরত্বে পর্যবসত হবে পিছিয়ে যাব�ো অনেকদূর। কিন্তু আমাদের ফিরতে না ত�ো? ইত্যাি ইত্যাি। অবশ্ না ভাঙারই কথা। হবে আবার সেই মহামানবের সাগর তীরে। আমাদের তাহলে ত�ো গ�োটা সমাজের বাঁধনটাই আলগা হয়ে অতীত থাকবে। কিন্তু বর্মানও থাকবে তার সাথে। যাবে। আজকের সংকট হয়ত�ো কাল আর থাকবে না। আর তাকে সঙ্গে নিয়েই ভবিষ্যতে সপ্ন দেখব�ো আজকের অভূ তপূর্ পরিস閿তি হয়ত�ো একদিন আমরা আবার। এরমধ্য আমাদের নিত্জীবনের অনেক কাটিয়ে উঠবই। কিন্তু মানুষে মানুষে এই বিশ্বাস- পরিবর্ন ঘটেছে। বদল ঘটেছে নিজস জীবনচর্যা। অবিশ্বাসের খেলা যেন বন্ধ হয়ে যায় তাড়াতাড়ি। হয়ত�ো এর মধ্য অনেক কিছুই অনেক ভাল�ো দিক তাহলে আমাদের বিশ্বকবি 巁쇁দেবের 'মানুষের তু লে ধরবে। Monthly Bulletin 55 May 2020 Pursuit from Home কর�োনা এল�ো ফিরে চল�ো ¤%öì‡r˜%!î†þy¢ þ›y¡– !˜ ~!¢ëûy!Øþ†þ ö¤y¤y¥z!Øþ তু মি এলে - তু মি এলে - তাই ত�ো মানুষ বন্ হল�ো ঘরে দেখিয়ে দিলে সব মিথ্য দেখতে এল�ো বনের প�পাখি। সম্পর্ মিথ্য, বিশ্বাস মিথ্য ধর্ মিথ্য, কর্ মিথ্য তু মি এলে - সত্ �ধু তু মি, তু মি, �ধু তু মি তাই সমাজে উঠল�ো ঝড় আর ত�োমার স্র�ট আশঙ্কার ঝড়, দুশ榿ন্তার ঝড় যে নামেই ডাক�ো তাকে মৃত্ য ঝড় তিনি সত্যনি, েমকি ধর্ না-পসন জানি একদিন ফিরে চল�ো সবে ঝড় থেমে যাবে। বিবেকানন্ শ্রীরামকৃ ষ跇 শ্রীঅরবিন্। îû&öìþ›y!¡ ?ˆöì•þîû •þyîû†þyîûy ë‡l e«ôyˆ•þî£ìÅîîû” l•%þl l•%þl îûy§¬y †þöìîû ö¤y¢Äy¡ !ô!’þëûyëû ‹þô†þ xylyîû ö‹þÜTy †þîûöìSél– ölØþ˜%!lëûyîû lyˆ!îû†þîûy öë ëyîû ô•þ †þöìîû †þöìîûylyîû ¤Á›öì†þÅþ ²Ì‹þyîû ‹þy!¡öìëû ëyöìFSél îy î¡y èþyöì¡y x!hßìcîûÇþyîû •%þô%¡ ²Ì!•þöìëy!ˆ•þyëû îÄhßì– xyôyöì˜îû !²Ìëû ¤¥†þô#Å öˆy!îr˜ ‹þöìRyþ›y™Äyëû •þ‡l ¤¥? ¤îû¡ ¤yöìî!†þ îû#!•þöì•þ ¡†þ’þy’þzöìlîû !˜l=!¡öì•þ ¤D#•þ‹þ‹Åþy †þîûöìSélÐ 1¡y ÷î¢y‡– ö‡y¡y ¥yîûöìôy!lëûyöìôîû ¤yôöìl öˆy!îr˜˜y– †þöìîûylyéŸé xy•þöìBþîû ôöì™ÄG l•%þl îSéîû 1427ö†þ ߺyˆ•þ ?ylyöì¡l !möì?wˆ#!•þîû ôy™Äöìô– ÷èþîûî# îûyöìˆ éŸŸŸé xy!? l)•þl îû•þöìl è)þ£ìöì” ë•þöìl ²Ì†,þ!•þ ¤•þ#öìîû ¤y!?öìëû ˜yG èþyöì¡y íy†%þl öˆy!îr˜˜y শক醿 মুখ�োপাধ্যয়, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি Monthly Bulletin 56 May 2020 Pursuit from Home আননধারা অনুরাধা বসাক, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি ঐক্যদ্ধ ভারত তপন ঘটক, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি এস�ো হে বৈশাখ কেকা অধিকারী বন㖦্যপাধ্যয়, দি এশিয়াটিক স�োসাইটি Monthly Bulletin 57 May 2020 Bibliography Selections from Newspapers on COVID-19 and its Socio-economic Dimensions Nibedita Ganguly, Life Member and Research Guide, The Asiatic Society The virus COVID-19 has brought about the meantime, they hope for humans to build an unexpected revolution in human history immunity against the fatal novel virus. But before through its devastating impacts. The World any respite can come, all must stay at home, Health Organization has termed it Covid-19 because hospital medical facilities are few in on 11th February 2020. This virus has caused numbers and can accommodate only so many a pandemic as it has jumped numerous in a country like India. Nature is relieved from international borders affecting millions and less carbon emissions and less air pollution. Is causing numerous fatalities. This pandemic is nature taking revenge? leading to severe socio-economic disruption, A large number of newspaper articles have change in religious, cultural and political painted and continue to paint this grim picture incidents, in educational systems, in public in details. Few selected articles have been transportation, in medical etiquettes, in sporting taken which show the state of affairs in a bird’s ground and in social and behavioural patterns eye view. This abrupt socio-economic-political of the society around the world. It has already impact on the community and the upheaval in crippled industry, agriculture, large, medium medical science and behaviour patterns caused and small scale businesses, tourism, health and by the virus that erupted just a month’s back in education. These areas have been shaken by the Wuhan in China and spread to all over the world distressing impact of COVID-19. Unemployment since December 2019. This overview provides in all sectors has risen sharply. Condition of daily references for various articles on COVID-19 that wage labourers is unimaginable. Rumours are have been published in leading newspapers widespread creating panic amongst people of India and few statements released by WHO. who are rushing into buying of essential goods; The article aims to tie together the pieces of causing migrant labourers to run to reach their news that have changed our lives, as we knew homes in vain; creating suspicion amongst it, drastically. the community and affecting people to look down upon their next door neighbours who, 1. Abhilash Gaur - Deep down, every human is /just a few days ago, were a close knit family. a virus https://timesofndia.indiatimes.com Social distancing is preached to stay home to india/why-humans-may-not-have-existed- stay safe. ‘Work from home’, ‘online education’, without-viruses/articleshow/75157570. ‘virtual meeting’ are replacing the established cms 2. Ambrish Mithal - Saving the lives of those system. Lockdown, self isolation, quarantine, most at risk from COVID-19 https://epaper. face mask, hand sanitizer, gloves, PPE, ventilation hindustantimes.com/Home/ShareArticle? have become the ‘corona etiquettes’ and OrgId=b8adb5b1&imageview=0 common vocabularies. The whole world is 3. Ameeta Mulla Wattal - Post-pandemic, a shift under lockdown. People are banned from in the mindset will be needed to teach and walking without face masks. Epidemiologists learn https://indianexpress.com/article/ and medical professionals predicted more opinion/columns/coronavirus-lockdown- people might be infected. They are fighting education-children-going-back-to-a-new- hard to invent the antigen and medicine. In school-6374612/ Monthly Bulletin 58 May 2020 Bibliography 4. Amitava Chakraborty - Prafulla Chandra Ray: gun https://indianexpress.com/article/ The ‘Revolutionary in the garb of scientist’ opinion/columns/corona-crisis-global- https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/ capitalism-china-us-donald-trump-c-raja- columns/prafulla-chandra-ray-bengal- mohan-6371461/ chemist-pharmacy-6368650/ 14. Chakshu Roy - Moving house online: how 5. Ananth Krishnan – Coronavirus. Data is key crucial legislative work could continue in crisis to control of this pandemic, says Soumya https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/ Swaminathan https://www.thehindu. editorials/coronavirus-covid-19-meeting- com/sci-tech/health/who-chief-scientist- moving-house-online-6371526/ soumya-swaminathan-interview-data-is- 15. Chitra Subramaniam - Who’s afraid of the key-to-control-coronavirus-pandemic/ WHO? https://indianexpress.com/article/ article31319156.ece?utm_source=taboola opinion/columns/who-coronavirus-covid- 6. Anup Sinha - Human beings will have to live 19-china-6364361/ with greater uncertainty in the future when 16. Colin Gonsalves - End the harassment of the Virus leaves https://epaper.telegraphin- farmers now https://epaper.thehindu.com/ dia.com/calcutta/2020-04-15/71/Page-10. Home/ShareArticle?OrgId=GGO7BHUQ4.1 html &imageview=0 7. Anupriyo Mallick - Computerised classroom ht- 17. D Bala - What makes up the virus and how tps://epaper.thestatesman.com/2631541/ drugs act on it https://epaper.thehindu. Kolkata-The-Statesman/13TH-APRIL- com/Home/ShareArticle?OrgId=G647BR 2020#page/6/1 G0D.1&imageview=0 8. Arghya Sengupta and Biswanath Ghosh 18. Devendra Saksena - Catastrophic lockdown ht- Dastidar - After the pandemic India can- tps://epaper.thestatesman.com/2617556/ not return to a business-as-usual exist- Kolkata-The-Statesman/2ND-APRIL- ence https://epaper.telegraphindia.com/ 2020#page/6 imageview_329033_3299121_4_71_22- 19. Deepak Nayyar - The Covid -19 paradox in 04-2020_10_i_1_sf.html South Asia https://epaper.thehindu.com/ 9. A S Panneerselvan - The Infodemic that ac- Home/ShareArticle?OrgId=GCC7C7PV9.1 companies the pandemic https://www. &imageview=0 thehindu.com/opinion/columns/the-info- 20. Dipesh Chakrabarty - The Coronavirus and glo- demic-that-accompanies-the-pandemic/ bal lives: a crowded house https://epaper.tel- article31324341.ece egraphindia.com/calcutta/2020-3-21/71/ 10. A S Panneerselvan - Journalistic challenges Page-12.html in reporting Covid-19 https://www.the- 21. Dushyant Dave - Missing Parliament and the hindu.com/opinion/columns/journalistic- Judiciary in the Covid crisis https://indian- challenges-in-reporting-covid-19/arti- express.com/article/opinion/columns/ cle31075827.ece india-coronavirus-parliament-judiciary- 11. Bindu Sivasankaran Nair - The Invisible face lockdown-6367368/ of the fallout: the traditional gender role that 22. Gaurav Bhatia - India is showing that limited women play distinctly affect them in global resources will not hold it back from taking on crises as seen in numerous examples https:// Covid-19 https://indianexpress.com/article/ epaper.thehindu.com/Home/ShareArticle? opinion/columns/india-coronavirus-covid- OrgId=GOJ7BV7TD.1&imageview=0 19-narendra-modi-6367373/ 12. Bhupender Yadav - Post-COVID-19: to meet 23. George Thomas - Getting the containment challenges ahead, emphasis must be on strategy in India https://epaper.thehindu. livelihood security https://indianexpress. com/Home/ShareArticle?OrgId=GGO7BH com/article/opinion/columns/coronavirus- UQQ.1&imageview=0 india-lockdown-covid-19-tracker-bhu- 24. Gopal Krishna Gandhi - Gandhi at the time pender-yadav-6371462/ of the Spanish flu: Answer unknown ht- 13. C Raja Mohan - The Reversal of the great tps://epaper.telegraphindia.com/imag right-ward drift since the 1980s has be- eview_328401_32435904_4_71_19-04- Monthly Bulletin 59 May 2020 Bibliography 2020_8_i_1_sf.html as the pandemic crisis shows, villages have a 25. Gurcharan Das - India faces Sophie’s Choice: right to flourish as habitations with their own the government’s tragic lockdown dilemma distinctive future https://epaper.thehindu. is that it has to pick between lives https:// com/Home/ShareArticle?OrgId=GOA7C5 timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/men- 5V4.1&imageview=0 and-ideas/india-faces-sophies-choice-the- 36. Kunal Ray - Singing the Corona Tune https:// governments-tragic-lockdown-dilemma- epaper.thehindu.com/Home/ShareArticle? is-that-it-has-to-pick-between-lives/ OrgId=GC07BSQET.1&imageview=0 26. Guru Prakash - Even amid pandemic, caste 37. Lalita Panicker - COVID-19: use grassroots atrocities continue. Representation is key institutions in the battle https://epaper. https://indianexpress.com/article/opin- hindustantimes.com/Home/ShareArticle? ion/columns/ambedkar-in-our-coronavi- OrgId=00f7c449&imageview=0 rus-crisis-pandemic-dalit-social-distanc- 38. M Govinda Rao -The Key strategy is fiscal ing-6374619/ empowerment of States https://epaper. 27. How countries are fighting COVID-19 ht- thehindu.com/Home/ShareArticle?OrgId tps://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ =GBN7C23PD.1&imageview=0 how-countries-are-fighting-covid-19/ 39. M R Madhavan - Cease the distractions; seize articleshow/75218907.cms the moment https://epaper.thehindu.com/ 28. In India’s response, a communications failure Home/ShareArticle?OrgId=GGO7BHUQK.1 https://epaper.thehindu.com/Home/Sha &imageview=0 reArticle?OrgId=GGO7BHUPU.1&imagev 40. M Suresh Babu - Economic policy lessons iew=0 India can learn from Covid-19 pandemic ht- 29. J V R Prasada Rao - The Pandemic and the tps://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/ contours of a health response https://epaper. economic-policy-lessons-india-can-learn- thehindu.com/Home/ShareArticle?OrgId= from-covid-19-pandemic-6364825/ GS67BG91S.1&imageview=0 41. Meghnad Desai - Need a plan to help migrants 30. Kabir Taneja - West Asia is staring at an eco- https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/ nomic crisis. India has to be prepared https:// columns/meghnad-desai-migrants-india- epaper.hindustantimes.com/Home/Shar coronavirus-lockdown-6368662/ eArticle?OrgId=6fd69197&imageview=0 42. Mukul Kesavan - Coping with Covid-19: As the 31. Karan Thapar - COVID-19: Decoding the low bell tolls https://epaper.telegraphindia.com/ death rate in India https://epaper.hindus- imageview_323856_16513240_4_71_15- tantimes.com/Home/ShareArticle?OrgId= 03-2020_12_i_1_sf.html 65fddef1&imageview=0 43. Neha Banka - Explained: In the COVID-19 32. Kavita Datta and Vincent Guermond - Corona- story of hydroxychloroquine, a history dating virus pandemic could hit the billions migrant back to World War II/ https://indianexpress. workers send home in cash https://thecon- com/article/explained/acharya-prafulla- versation.com/coronavirus-pandemic- chandra-ray-hydroxychloroquine-corona- could-hit-the-billions-migrant-workers- virus-6366764/ send-home-in-cash-135602 44. Nachiket Mor and Manuj Garg - Why COVID-19 33. K Yatish Rajawat - Trilemma and the ecodemic is a data problem as well as a public health http://epaper.sentinelassam.com/Arti- issue https://indianexpress.com/article/ clePage/APpage.php?edn=Guwahati%20 opinion/why-covid-19-is-a-data-problem- English&articleid=THESENTI_GUWE_2020 as-well-as-a-public-health-issue-6368949/ 0413_4_1&artwidth=370px 45. Nikhil Dey and Aruna Roy - Statesmanship 34. Kenneth Mohanty and Anjishnu Das - How requires taking people along; when basic Wuhan reopened for biz https://times- security is denied, hope dies https://indi- ofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india- anexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/ business/how-wuhan-reopened-for-biz/ india-coronavirus-lockdown-migrants- articleshow/75246124.cms modi-6367359/ 35. Krishna Kumar - The Village is still relevant 46. Parakala Prabhakar - The Occasion to revisit Monthly Bulletin 60 May 2020 Bibliography the sovereign’s role https://epaper.thehindu. 58. Sanjay Kumar - After Corona: Upgrade com/Home/ShareArticle?OrgId=GOJ7BV7T India’s healthcare fast http://epaper.dec- 7.1&imageview=0 canchronicle.com/articledetailpage. 47. Parijat Ghosh and Vikram Chandrasekhar aspx?id=14819189 - India is poised for deep structural health 59. Sanjay Pinto - Burying dignity and de- reforms https://epaper.hindustantimes. cency: a tale of two funerals http://epaper. com/Home/ShareArticle?OrgId=5faaba97 deccanchronicle.com/articledetailpage. &imageview=0 aspx?id=14815182# 48. Partha Pratim Majumder – Lockdown 60. Santosh Kumar Biswal and Uttam Chakraborty maths: why we must comply https:// - Customise model of social distancing for the epaper.telegraphindia.com/imagevi disabled http://epaper.deccanchronicle. ew_325417_174438258_4_71_25-03- com/articledetailpage.aspx?id=14815276 2020_3_i_1_sf.html 61. Shyam Saran - Beijing’s response to Covid 49. Patrick Heller - A Virus, social democracy, underlines that the world needs more democ- and dividends for Kerala https://epaper. racy, not less https://indianexpress.com/ thehindu.com/Home/ShareArticle?OrgId article/opinion/columns/china-coronavi- =GRE7BO2GG.1&imageview=0 rus-cases-deaths-covid-19-pandemic-who- 50. P Chidambaram - A Blue print to revive the shyam-saran-6369938/ economy https://epaper.thehindu.com/ 62. Shashi Tharoor - Let’s seize opportunity to Home/ShareArticle?OrgId=GS07BMJOF.1 drive economy forward without driving air &imageview=0 pollution up https://indianexpress.com/ 51. P K Vasudeva - Towards Recession ht- article/opinion/columns/coronavirus- tps://epaper.thestatesman.com/2634030/ pandemic-world-lockdown-air-pollution- Kolkata-The-Statesman/15TH-APRIL- shashi-tharoor-6364380/ 2020#page/6/2 63. Shiv Visvanathan - Time, language and 52. Pratap Tharyan and T Jacob John - A Shot of violence: A hollow age https://epa- hope with a game changing vaccine https:// per.telegraphindia.com/imagev epaper.thehindu.com/Home/ShareArticle? iew_329153_22613420_4_71_23-04- OrgId=GC07BSQAL.1&imageview=0 2020_10_i_1_sf.html 53. Rajeev Bhargava - Halting the march of 64. Shyel Trehan - Life, liberty and law in times of rumours https://epaper.thehindu.com/ a lockdown https://epaper.hindustantimes. Home/ShareArticle?OrgId=GS67BG922.1 com/Home/ShareArticle?OrgId=27cdda22 &imageview=0 &imageview=0 54. Ramachandra Guha – Pandemics and 65. Sunanda K Datta-Ray - Indians will die like prejudice: repeating the past https:// flies if the pandemic comes here: Poorly pre- epaper.telegraphindia.com/imagev pared https://epaper.telegraphindia.com/ iew_329395_34017499_4_71_25-04- calcutta/2020-3-21/71/Page-12.html 2020_10_i_1_sf.html 66. Sunanda K Datta-Ray - Soldiers together: this 55. Renu Kohli - The Government must spend is the time for the army civil powers combat more to avoid a deeper downturn Put on the the crisis https://epaper.telegraphindia. mat https://epaper.telegraphindia.com/im- com/imageview_328272_37135_4_71_18- ageview_328893_53413869_4_71_21-04- 04-2020_10_i_1_sf.html 2020_10_i_1_sf.html 67. Swapan Dasgupta - Punditry is a home 56. Ruchir Joshi - It is time to put the last man grown phenomenon: Pearls of Wisdom first: a world plagued, the thin edge ht- https://epaper.telegraphindia.com/cal- tps://epaper.telegraphindia.com/calcut- cutta/2020-4-2/71/Page-10.html ta/2020-4-14/71/Page-10.html 68. T V Sajeev - Invasive, alien and most fear- 57. Rudrashish Dutta - Online contretemps ht- some https://epaper.thehindu.com/Home/ tps://epaper.thestatesman.com/2614857/ ShareArticle?OrgId=G0V7BF4U3.1 Kolkata-The-Statesman/30TH-MARCH- 69. V Sumantran - Harmonising with nature ht- 2020#page/6 tps://epaper.thehindu.com/Home/ShareAr Monthly Bulletin 61 May 2020 Bibliography ticle?OrgId=GGO7BHUQ2.1&imageview=0 72. WHO Director-General’s opening remarks 70. Virtual reality: on telemedicine https://www. at the media briefing on COVID-19 -22 April thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/virtual-re- 2020 https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/ ality-the-hindu-editorial-on-telemedicine/ detail/who-director-general-s-opening- article31359228.ece remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid- 71. WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at 19--22-april-2020 the media briefing on COVID-19 – 11 March 73. WHO Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): 2020 https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/ Situation Report-91, 20 April 2020 https:// detail/who-director-general-s-opening- www.who.int/docs/default-source/corona- remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid- viruse/situation-reports/20200420-sitrep- 19---11-march-2020 91-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=fcf0670b_4 Monthly E-Bulletin April 2020 Colossal Impact of Pandemic Covid-19 on Mental Health — Are We Prepared to Handle ? – Dr. Tapas Kumar Ray কর�োনা যেন মনকে সং嗍রামি না করে–xö짺£ìy îöìr˜Äyþ›y™Äyëû C Visual Supports Help Autistic Students Adjust and Cope o up During the Lockdown –Mitu De An Idea can Change Your Life but a Virus can End It – n Sudipto Roy t The Plague: Many Layers and Aspects – Sudeshna e Chakravarty n Revisiting Camus: Life in the Time of Corona – Chinmoy t Guha s কর�োনা ভাইরাস আকমণ ও আমাদের চৈতন্যর উদয় : দীপেশ চক্র釀র চিꇍতভাবনা – !lôÅ¡ îöìr˜Äyþ›y™Äyëû Work from Home –How The Asiatic Society Became Part of the Emerging Concept During the Lockdown –Dhiman Chakraborty Staying Connected in the Times of Lockdown through Whatsapp Group “Asiatic Society Covid19”–Dhiman From the Desk of the General Secretary Chakraborty Articles Poetry The Pandemic Covid-19– Dr. Sankar Kumar Nath Thou Incarnate Invisible -S. B. Chakrabarti Coronavirus Disease 2019: An Overview and Update ¡†þ’þy’þzl -!lôÅöì¡r˜% ö‰y£ìy¡ Dr. Agnibha Maiti & Prof. Anup Kr Bhattacharya xyôyîû ¢¥îû -¢!_« ô%‡y?#Åþ COVID 19 and Basic Principles for Maintaining a Healthy নীরবতাযাপন -þ›yîöì¡y ölîû&˜y, অনুবাদ ঃ সাগরিকা শূর Workplace – Arupratan Bagchi Quarantine -Pinky Isha Staying Connected in an Unconnected World !lèþÅëû -†,þ£k ™îû Swapan Kumar Pramanick My Days in Isolation : A Few Reflections – Tapati Illustrations Mukherjee Rekha Chakraborty : Fear Future of the Past: A Short History of Covid-19 and the Isha Mahammad : Untitled World beyond 2020–Arun Bandopadhyay Sagarika Sur : Spring Offensive Black Death: Whom to Blame?–Urvi Mukhopadhyay Arun Chakraborty : Helpless The Story of C-E-I-P-Q–Sabyasachi Chatterjee Urvi Mukhopadhyay : Returning to Neverland Spanish Flu 1918 (-20)–Kunal Ghosh Anuradha Bysack : We Will Walk Hand in Hand Someday Spanish Flu in India–Subhasis Biswas Rupa Mukherjee : Untitled The Curious Case of Tuberculosis – Samik Biswas Fiona Mukherjee : Against COVID19 Under the Shadows of a Globalized Disease–Jayanta Acharya Monthly Bulletin 62 May 2020