It is real scary when cholera strikes Bangalore....

Cholera in Bangalore

In addition to the fever (viral fever?) that I talked about (see "I am alive and well"), I suffered from severe diarrhea. I was suspecting cholera. I started looking for vials of chlorine drops that could possibly purify my drinking water, but could not find in the nearby drugstores. It so happened that the Times of India reported cholera in Bangalore after a few weeks of me getting sick.

How to avoid cholera?  One would always point to the drinking water sine cholera is believed to be a water-borne disease. With the rural Indians not practising the habit of indoor toiletting (many still prefer open fields), diseases like cholera could become epidemic anytime. As a preventive measure one needs better disposal of human and animal excreta, better cleanliness in the environment, and better janitors! One also needs "purified decontaminated potable water" -- that is still a "dream" for many.

But what is "pure water"? How to decontaminate water? In our discussion all along, we believed in western medicine (essentially christian medicine); we believe in such theories primarily because the European caucasian christian civilisation had been more successful in maintaining healthier and wealthier lifestyles. But how about the Hindu conservatives?

With the power of Hindu conservatives rising in Bangalore, it is a relevant and important question. Hindu conservatives might still not follow the dictates of western medical sciences, they might still need 'Ganga water',  cow-dung, cow-urine for all matters relating to personal hygienes. One would might also wonder if  'Ganga water' were to be mixed with tap water before drinking!  Such activities might be considered unscientific and superstitious to those of us who had been successful in the western education system. Even Mahatma Gandhi was quite 'superstitious'; I remembered Haldane's comments on Mr. Gandhi and the science of biochemistry. Some would even prefer drinking urine to maintain better health! The argument is that the "Hindu' civilisation had been  running thus over "kalpayugs".

How about progressive Kolkata. Kolkata now is not the home of the Hindu conservatives as much; Kolkatans prefer western-style of medical sciences. But the government supported hospitals are not competitive in comparison with Chicago, or even Bombay. Kolkatans and rural Bengalis often suffer from dysentry, diarrhoea and at times cholera. apparently the water drainage system of the Gangetic plains is to be blamed, not the work and health care habits of the Bengalis. How are the doctors coping with such personal hygienes and health care systems? In the eighties many young doctors (popularly called trainee or juinor doctors) who failed to find full employment with the governmental agencies and the private clinics were opposing the conditions in Kolkata hospitals. Most of them were branded politically motivated fronts of the "Naxals", and their causes dismissed as impractical, unrealistic etc. Nowadays naxals are not abound, neither are their fronts. But still you might find dogs, rats, mules and cats in goverment hospitals fighting with the patients for a meal. You might still find health-care employees like my biological father, who would be yelling and shouting at the patients telling them what not to do. Patients might better go to heaven for comfort than to live with the treatment.  such being the Kolkata hospitals, how would be the district hospitals; they would reflect the differences in 'tala' (level). What is wrong with such a system; we are still going by. Many stoics would argue that our own families are no better, so we could possibly tolerate the hospitals. Are such practical treatment of the sick necessities of the poverty, or would anyone strive for change despite poverty (except by maintaining slavery of the doctors).

How are other countries? Other cities? American healthcare system is too expensive, and not comparable to the Canadian system. In USA also many of my friends are too poor -- and state of the art medical care would be a luxury for many. By some strange twists in my life I landed up in Cook County (Chicago) hospital as a un-insured patient (some who could not pay his medical bills). I was very impressed with the free treatment I received; something unimaginable in Kolkata hospitals -- what I appreciated most was the behaviour of the health-care employees. Apparently 'white cities' are either too polished or too rude not to entertain people like my biological father (those who might yell at work)! The rest of the comparative comments I would hold, since neither the Naxals nor the CPIM would like to digest my mouth!

How about Russia? Russians were not the ones to popularise the bare-foot doctor scheme. But Bolshevic revolution really changed common people's health consciousness (again if I were to comment that the Russians were caucasian christians, many Indian communists might not find that attribute relevant for discussion in the health care forums).

Now about the ruler of the rulers -- London. I was reading a book by CIA publication quite sometime ago. I was amused the see the pattern of population in the city of London, and the life-expectency of the British as reported to be varying over the twentieth century (1900's). During the period, one had to notice the discovery of penicillin, and other antibiotics, the twoo world world faced by the londoners, and the financial loss of the British nation due to the declaration of the independence of the former British colonies (India included). But again the health care system is baed on "western" medical system, that would appear christian to rural Hindus. (In fact many of our secular personal habits appear christian to rural Hindus, though many Indian communists might not agree that being 'secular' meant being more pro-christian!). 

What's the point? Why drag religion into toilet habits, with flowing waters in a brooklet or with tisses inside a western toilet? How would you keep a place dry, neat and clean.

What would happen if cholera were to stike the brain centres in Bangalore -- say IISc or TIFR. While I was a student at IIT Kharagpur, a similar incident really occurred. The students got panicked with the epidemic of hepatitis, and on their own called meetings of hostel representatives and vacated the hostels without approval of the authorities. This was one incidence that gave the "guys" in IIT to lead disobedience not the "commies".

I wish at the time of the cholera, we find a 'unified' religion for personal behaviour (though many commies believe religion is not important, it might still be the opium masses consume as eagerly as I drink tea).

SG,
Bangalore,
March 19, 2006 .

A Note on the IITians:

During my studentship, IIT student community was divided into two camps --- guys and commis. Guys were from richer parentage, urban (many second or third generation professionals) and with better coomunication in English. Commies were poorer, were at ease with vernacular, and wer usually first generation engineers. They differed on issues regarding strikes, ragging, living expenses etc. I could not have been a 'guy', but was not a big commie either; I used to timidly stay out of trouble, work hard for my career, and used to teach for free (15 to 20 hours per week) in three schools around Kharagpur along with few other friends. My friend Kanti, unfortunately deceased untimely, was a big commie, he could have become a CPIM minister by 2000. One Mr. Chugh, whom I could communicate with, was a real big guy in both sense of the term. I wish he is still big. Another Mr. S. Ramanan, who had the power of the Hall President when I entered the Radhakrishnan Hall as a poor rural boy, had a 'pleaser' that comforted me. He was a genlte-manly south indian who lacked the arrogance of the guys and the enthusiasm of the commies. I wish Mr. Ramanan were successful as a manager somewhere.