By Chandran Iyer

Reality is stranger than fiction. This old adage was again proved right when the entire world was in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic. What happened, in reality, had a chilling resemblance to what was depicted in the 2011 American medical thriller film  Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh.

The plot of the movie Contagion, concerns the spread of a highly contagious virus transmitted by respiratory droplets and fomites, attempts by medical researchers and public health officials to identify and contain the disease, and the loss of social order as the virus turns into a worldwide pandemic.

Now comes an interesting book BRAVING A VIRAL STORM, INDIA’S COVID-19 VACCINE STORY written by Aashish Chandorkar and Suraj Sudhir which gives a full account of how India dealt with the devastating pandemic. But unlike the movie Contagion, this book is not a work of fiction. It is the outcome of painstaking research chronicling India’s Covid-19 vaccine journey.

Ashish and Suraj have narrated the story of how India got two Indian-made vaccines — one fully developed in India as well — to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors have interviewed several individuals whose unique insights have molded the contents of the book. This includes Adar Poonawalla, Amit Paranjape, Anand Ranganathan, Ashok Malik, Balram Bhargava, Hiren Joshi, and many others.

Several senior officials from the Indian government as well as those working in international organizations like the World Health Organisation, World Trade Organisation, etc helped in piecing together events and stories.

One interesting feature of India’s vaccine journey is India sprinted a marathon in its vaccine story. The authors say, throughout the spread of viral diseases, there was never an exception that a vaccine may be invented while the virus was at its peak destruction to tame its impact, if not the spread. This possibility had never been attempted in human history. Four years is what the world had as the best evidence for the development of a successful, modern, well-tested, well-proven, and globally used MMR vaccine. The world could not afford to wait for four years in the case of COVID-19 for there would not be much left to save.

This book published by Rupa Publications  India Pvt Ltd shows that PM Modi had envisioned Cowin as early as May 2020. The book also explains how the Indian vaccine created a spirit of trust and collaboration unlike in China. The authors say while China administered far more vaccinations, they focused on high volume production of quickly approved vaccines, combined with an overzealous Zero Covid-19 strategy. The efficacy of the vaccines has been in question on the basis of China’s stringent curbs extending well into 2022. In comparison, India has largely been able to handle the pandemic in a better way.

The authors have peppered the book with extensive information about different types of diseases that have caused mass destruction in the world including the Spanish Flu of 1918, the Bubonic plague of 1347 which took nearly 200 million lives, smallpox in 1520 that claimed 56 million victims and other diseases.

The book details how our self-belief played a key role in bouncing back from the pandemic and put the nation on the path of Aatmanirbharta, or self-dependence.

In the Afterword of the book, the CEO and Owner of Serum Institute of India (SII) Mr. Adar Poonawala said “It is a matter of happiness that this journey chronicling a true Indian accomplishment has been documented in Ashish Chandorkar and Suraj Sudhir’s book Braving a Viral Storm: India’s Covid-19 Vaccine Story. When the achievement is fresh in our minds, looking back on how the country came out of a dark storm is very satisfying.

Impressed by the book, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi received this book and then tweeted his response.  “Delighted to receive a copy of your book in which you have chronicled India’s strides in vaccination.”