A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE 1896 BOMBAY PLAGUE EPIDEMIC IN BRITISH INDIA

History teaches us many lessons by examples - here is a glance into the past. The past seems to be repeating itself during the current Covid – 19 pandemic. All major epidemics and pandemics of the past have altered the course of history in the world. Each of these began as a biological phenomenon, but soon turned into economic, social, or political ones. The loss of lives and livelihoods had followed, distress and despair experienced, and yet, despite the scale of devastation, the human race made peace with its surroundings and came out victorious.
India, being the third world country has encountered various epidemics and pandemics through the time. Several accounts of influenza, cholera, dengue, smallpox and several others have been recorded throughout history. In this paper, I would like to chart out how the deadly Bombay plague epidemic that struck the city of Bombay (present-day Mumbai) in the late nineteenth century, wreaked havoc across Bombay and presented some of the same challenges the government faces today, including migrant labour exodus. The plague killed millions, and many fled the city leading to a drastic fall in the population of the city. Bombay plague is considered as the third great, worldwide visitation of plague in recorded history. To tackle Covid19, the Indian government has invoked the colonial-era Epidemics Act of 1897, originally enacted to tackle the Bombay Plague of 1896.