Dr.Dinesh
INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC
The first epidemic influenza broke out in 1920. A man was murdered named TANOMUKUI by SON and TATCHAHKA, a women gave information which was passed to Mr. Hart the Assistant Commissioner Nicobar. The Bishop was deputed to arrest the culprits. He took with him six strong men from Mus and Malacca village. They first arrested Tatchahka in his house. Bishop was carrying a hockey stick which the man thought was a gun. He quietly submitted, son was arrested in sound sleep in his house, both were convicted and deported to Port Blair. Those days this was called devil murder (the victim was the cause of epidemic, as they believed, so he was killed).
In 1932 at Arong a man was gored by a wild bull while going to feed his pigs in the jungle. His abdomen was punctured and the small intestine came out. The Bishop tore his own baniyan, plucked tender leaves and dressed up the wound. Thus giving first aid. A rough stretcher was made and the man carried to the beach at Arong from there he and his school boys took him to Mus by canoe. They reached hospital at 3 pm, disturbing Dr. Jones who was resting. The intestine was pushed in with stitches. In a months time the man recovers.
POLIO EPIDEMIC
In September 1948 an epidemic of polio was broken out. Bishop went to Nancowrie with CAN Mr.Alvi on return it was so strange that no one came to meet us. At last a canoe came out with some Nicobarese who told us that there a bad sickness had broken out. All the RAF personnel had left the Island. The police and the doctor went to Teetop to escape from the sickness, one plane flew to Port Blair to bring doctor. Next day bishop collected more than 50 young men to construct huts for patients in the airfield others to bury the dead’s and other to go around to collect the patients from all the villages in the old Japanese trucks. Luckily there was plenty of petrol, and few drivers. Mr.Yusuf Jadwet was one of the drivers; day and night patients were admitted and dead were buried. To New Delhi SOS was sent and eight more doctors and twelve male nurses were flown in.
In 1949 two canoes from Mus village did not reach Chowra. When the Bishop got the news he went to Chukchuka to meet Mr. Yusuf and asked for the old Japanese launch, next morning at 4 a.m the search party left for Teetop and reached Batimaliv Island at 11 am, there a canoe was lying at anchor (because there was no place to land on the island). The men were on the island. One canoe was completely lost with 15 men; only one man and six children were saved from the lost one.
The search party parked 11 children and returned to Mus at 5 pm, the search party were planning to go again in the launch the next morning with supplies of food to the marooned men of 30 people but the weather worsens.
The commanding officer came to the rescue, there was one supply plane just arrived from Singapore, the Bishop accompanied the party in the plane to drop the ration for the marooned men. The first drop fell on the sea but the next five drop fell at the right place and were soon picked up by the men. The party returned to camp within 15 minutes, when weather was good again the marooned party was successfully brought back from Batimaliv Island.
Worked in Car Nicobar Island in the post of Dental Surgeon at Government Civil Hospital (now known as BJR Hospital), Car Nicobar under Directorate of Health Services A & N Administration. e-mail: dineshdentalclinic@gmail.com
