Corona times -06. How was it in ancient times and will that have a bearing for today?

Warning: Don't expect any miraculous mantra in my search

It is impossible to keep track of the cascade of news, opinions and videos on the Corona Virus in the media and even fully trust them. Wondering how it was in ancient times. I asked my friend Chandramouli, who taught world cultural history. He was a teacher in an American school and had developed his own syllabus and had traveled to different places to research.

Before going into it, happy to share a few comments made on my blogs.

This is from Hari Gopalan's 3 year old granddaughter, my great-grand niece!

'Nothing in the past will change in a few days.' 

Hari added,when Kumud & I heard this 'we were speechless'.

N.N.Sachitnand (Retired correspondent for The Hindu.)

"The Mother Goddess symbolism is as old as mankind itself and you have manifestations of it in all civilizations down the ages. In fact, one of the most well known figurines of this symbol was found at Mohenjo Daro, one of the principal cities of the Indus Valley Civilization.  Almost all primitive tribal societies in India and across the world worship some form or another of the Mother Goddess. The only exception to this is Islam .... But the Hindi term mahamari does not refer to any goddess. It is only a word designating  epidemic."

Let me speculate, word mahamari was perhaps used in anger and frustration as goddess Maari failed to stop an epidemic in spite of their prayers. I am very hopeful that the offerings made during my childhood will protect us!

People are talking about how our BCG program has saved Indians from Covid. Yet to be confirmed.

Here is an experts* view on 4th April. "Thanks for the forward. I am afraid this is an effort to explain away the rates of progression of Covid-19 in different countries. It must have surfaced in a statistical analysis. While neonatal BCG is a practice in India it wouldn't have been given to adults as they would antedate the start of the procedure. However, it must be conceded that sensitization to the tubercle bacillus, consequent to community exposure, is widespread in this country. While BCG has little protective effect, in India, against active tuberculosis there is a correlation as regards antibodies. This is a shot in the dark who knows it may hit the mark! Raghu.

   (*Lt Gen D. Raghunath  (Retd) MD, DCP, FRCPath, FAMS)

I have blogged about Mahabharta and there was no mention of an epidemic in it. Dangers did lurk. Yes, rakshasas moved around eating people. They could even fly. Story of Bakasura told us how a village faced calamity. The demon wanted food sent to him every day. The villagers came to an understanding. A bullock cart, loaded with food, was driven by a chosen person from a household, (kind of lottery?) went to an appointed place. In the evening only the empty cart was returned. Tremendous sacrifice from each household. 

There is also a story of King Parikshit, who being told that the son of a sage he had insulted had cursed him and would be killed by a snake. The king built an impregnable fortress and it was fully guarded. He was still bit by a snake, the inevitability of destiny and the power of a curse! Those days the curse of sage could not even be withdrawn! 

My question to Chandramouli. "How was it in ancient times"? 
Typically as a teacher he gave many pointers and  expected me to research. He mentioned the common ones: Small pox, Bubonic plague, TB, Typhus,Polio. Said that military camps always had Cholera! Aztecs, Incas and several other Central /South American cultures were affected too. Some socio-anthropologists believe that Mohenjo Daro and Harappa got wiped out by series of epidemics.

Mouli anticipated my  question on how it influenced the future. "Myth grows out of Legend. Legend grows out of collective memory. Collective memory is woven out of many facts and some unverifiable facts over the years. Deep inside most myth are facts. Ditto Ramayana and Mahabharata. Both are a collection of facts within a chronological order. 

(Rakshsa, Asura, Daitya were how non Aryans( Dravidians, Tribals, Aborigines etc) were called by Aryans. Branded as bad guys. Ramayana is a conflict between Aryans and Rakshasas. Monkeys (forest hominids?) assisted Aryans. Mahabharata is a conflict within Aryans who killed each other!)

This brings out more questions. Whether these experiences have modified our genes and will have a bearing on the way we tackle the epidemic that is raging across the world. We already have examples of how different countries have dealt with this calamity in different ways. Will it really happen the way many idealists are hoping?   

"The world will work together and make this blue marble a better place!"
  Let us keep hoping!