In the very ethos of Bengalis lies a deep-rooted fear even in the utterance of the word ‘Kala-Azar’ and such was the fear that it found mention even in Bengali literature.
Kolkata: Black fever or more commonly, Kala-Azar, is back in West Bengal with the government recording at least 65 cases across the state, mostly in the northern part. Although the panic button has already been pressed and the government is taking adequate steps to ensure it doesn’t spread, in the very ethos of Bengalis lies a deep-rooted fear even in the utterance of the word ‘Kala-Azar’ and such was the fear that it found mention even in Bengali literature.
Our memories of the Covid-19 pandemic are still fresh. The pains of our near and dear ones coupled with our collective helplessness in even ensuring a hospital bed or an oxygen cylinder have probably left an indelible mark in our minds. Life will probably never be the same again in the absence of the pre-pandemic days and artists have already begun to sketch what the pandemic showed us through their paintings, stories etc.
Also read: Kala-Azar in West Bengal: What is black fever, its symptoms and cure
West Bengal has been hit by several epidemics in the past and just like people are documenting the pandemic days now, the miseries faced by the people of Bengal often found mention in Bengali literature back in those days. In fact, they often serve as the mirrors of the yesteryears.
From Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay to Manik Bandyopadhyay, litterateurs have mentioned the series of epidemics through their sad stories. And one such disease that found its mention more often than not in the stories was the kalajwor or the Kala-Azar. A very common portrayal of a death due to Kala-Azar would be, “…saath diner kalajwor’e mara gelo…(died due to a seven-day black fever).”
Bengali literature was greatly affected by Kala-Azar or the black fever. Writer Sukumar Roy died of black fever at the age of 35. Dr Upendranath Brahmachari, a renowned Indian physician, had discovered a medicine to treat black fever just a year back but that could not save Sukumar Ray.
An early 18th-century account reveals that of 1,200 Englishmen in Calcutta, 460 died of the fever. The British were unable to develop immunity to the climate of India, having just entered the country. That is why the colonial whites wrote down the horrors of all the epidemics in their many diaries, journals and memoirs.
And pretty much alongside the British, the fear, sorrow and lamentation of human life were recorded by the Bengali writers of those days.
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s son Taradas Bandyopadhyay mentioned Kala-Azar in his story Jwarasur, which is a part of the famous ‘Taranath Tantrik’ series. The protagonist of the story, Taranath, got affected by black fever when he was a child, the story narrates, and goes on to explain how his grandfather arranged the puja of a deity called Jwarasur, or the fever god. In Hindu mythology, Jwarasur is the husband of Goddess Sitala.
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Abhagir Swarga also talks of the fever and the starting line mentions the death of Thakurdas Mukherjee’s wife due to a “seven-day” fever.
Writer Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay liked to live in seclusion. So, he chose his house in the erstwhile undivided Bihar’s Ghatshila to spend the rest of his life. The house was characterised by the dense forest around it and the area was almost deserted.
It is said that due to obesity, the doctors had advised the writer to walk twice every day in the morning and in the evening. So, he used to walk several kilometres along the forest every day. One such evening, on his way home after walking, he saw some people carrying a dead body on their shoulders. He went ahead and asked them who has died and without saying a word, they took the dead body off their shoulders and removed the cloth from its face.
The author was shocked to find that the dead body was none others but his own. He ran to his house and when he reached the porch, he screamed and fell senseless. It is believed that the shock later led to black fever which subsequently killed the legendary writer. Although his death certificate mentions a heart attack.
Also read: ‘Kala-Azar’: West Bengal records 65 cases of black fever across 11 districts
Manik Bandyopadhyay’s short story ‘Neki’ mentions Kala-Azar. In the story, Neki, a young girl, dies of black fever.
In one of his stories, author Nabarun Bhattacharya pegged the main causes behind black fever to be starvation and malnutrition.
Unfortunately, the British never classified black fever as an epidemic and very little has been documented about the one-time mystery fever.
