The Age of Pandemics, 1817-1920: How They Shaped India and the World
Between 1817 and 1920, over 70 million people died in the cholera, plague and influenza pandemics. Over half of these deaths were in the Indian subcontinent alone. Despite the magnitude of lives lost to these devastating diseases, they have largely been forgotten in India’s collective memory. This talk by Chinmay Tumbe looked back at these pandemics to gain insight into humanity’s encounters with infectious diseases, as well as to contextualize COVID-19. The talk also showed how these historical pandemics played a role in socio-political developments of the time.
About the Academic
Chinmay Tumbe is a faculty member in the Economics Area of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. He is the author of India Moving: A History of Migration (2018) and The Age of Pandemics, 1817-1920: How they Shaped India and the World (2020).
