The exhibits showcase the project "Typhoid Fever and Bangalore: Social, Cultural and Public Health narratives –Lessons from the past to understand the present" [IEC 187/2020] by the St John's National Academy of Health Sciences in collaboration with University of Oxford Typhoid Project.
There are broadly three spaces and time phases covered in the virtual exhibitions
Sanitation Workers
Sanitation workers of today continue to be the backbone of sanitation systems in India. However, deficient infrastructure, water scarcity, and a booming population remain an immense weight for the millions of stigamitised labour communities to carry.
Fever Goddess Temples
Colonial Bangalore
As in most Early Modern Urban areas, crowded populations are causing disease to spread with one outbreak after the next. We explore how epidemics ravaging Bangalore shaped its growth and development into the city we know today.
Centuries ago, in the regions where urban Bengaluru now stands, communities had a deep-rooted connection to Fever Goddesses. Building shrines and temples that were open to all, they continue to seek healing, pray for loved ones, and invoke protection.
The virtual exhibits uncover the faith of Fever Goddesses, predating the discovery of typhoid or even the establishment of Bangalore as the city we know today. We study the enteric fever, Typhoid that ravaged Colonial Bangalore, and how it shaped the city's development and sanitation systems. Finally, we explore the grave conditions of Sanitation Workers, who protect Indian communities from such disease, forming the bridge between infrastructure and public health.
THE SOCIO-CULTURAL HISTORY OF
TYPHOID FEVER IN BANGALORE
The first virtual space is designed to represent an environment in Gather Town, a social networking platform, with prominent sites and landmarks that are essential to Typhoid History's narrative. Visitors can explore the gamified maps, learning of new facts found and age old practices from cultural, medical, and public health perspectives.
Take an Immersive Stroll
Through Old Bangalore
Visit Alice in Typhoidland:
The Past and Present of Typhoid
Join Alice Liddell on a tour of the past and present of typhoid control curated by our collaborators. Discover how Victorian doctors and scientists helped make typhoid visible and developed the first typhoid vaccines. Learn about the current challenges of typhoid across the world and what researchers in Oxford are doing to tackle it.
This exhibition held on the Google Arts and Culture platform showcases the in depth research found on the journey Bangalore has been on, from its faith- based treatments and practices of fever, to the discovery of enteric fevers and their connections to the sanitation system. This journey provides a lens on the intersection between caste and community health.
Lifting the Urban Veil: Fevers, Typhoid & Sanitation in Bengaluru
Credit List
The exhibition was organized in collaboration with the University of Oxford, UK.
Script and Curation: Dr Manjulika Vaz, Radhika Hegde, Dr Vagishwari, Sakshi Saldanha, Dr Claas Kirchhelle, Dr Samantha Vanderslott and Ruchira Verma
Exhibition Compilation: Radhika Hegde, Sakshi Saldanha
Photography and Photo Editing: Kushal PK
Artwork: Saachi Narayan, Vijay Joshi
Vocal Artist: Sanskrithi Kesiraju
Researchers: Anisha Ananthpukar, Archana Rangaswamaiah, Dr. Satyanath, Anuroop Tantry