ARTEFACTS of Crises

THE CRISIS BROUGHT IN by the COVID-19 pandemic was followed by relief packages, e-passes and coupons issued by the government to facilitate the movement of essential goods and people.

- ARANYA DUTTA CHOUDHURY

In such situations, zones where people cooperate with each other fare better. Lessons can be found not too far in history. The Gosaba experiment and currency is one of such.

The majestic wilderness of the Sundarbans brings forth the racy imagery of dense mangroves filled with man-eating tigers, crocodiles, dacoits in boats and honey collectors, and more recently a major hub of eco-tourism. Yet, unknown to many travellers, Gosaba, a village in the Canning district here, remained unscathed during the 1943 Bengal famine due to a unique experiment by a Scotsman, Sir Daniel Mackinnon Hamilton (1859–1939) and his Hamilton currency notes. Considering the famine affected 60 million people, with almost 3 million deaths, this was a marvellous achievement.