While we are amidst this global Covid-19 pandemic, important to remember the great Sir Waldemar Mordechai Wolff Haffkine. Yesterday was his 90th death anniversary.

Haffkine was a bacteriologist from Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldemar_…
"(Haffkine) emigrated and worked at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, where he developed an anti-cholera vaccine that he tried out successfully in India. He is recognized as the first microbiologist who developed and used vaccines against cholera and bubonic plague."
"(Haffkine) tested the vaccines on himself. Lord Joseph Lister named him "a saviour of humanity".

He was knighted in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year Honours in 1897."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldemar_…
"He proceeded to India in 1893 and established a laboratory at Byculla in 1896 which moved to Parel and was later called the Haffkine Institute. Haffkine worked on the plague and by 1902–3 half a million were inoculated but on 30 October 1902, 19 people died from tetanus..."
"...of 107 inoculated at Mulkowal. This "Mulkowal disaster" led to an enquiry. He was briefly suspended but reappointed director of the Biological Laboratory in Calcutta. He retired in 1915 and suffering from malaria, had to return to France."
"The Haffkine Institute for Training, Research and Testing is located in Parel in Mumbai (Bombay), India. It was established on 10 August 1899 by Dr. Waldemar Mordecai Haffkine, as a bacteriology research centre called the "Plague Research Laboratory"."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haffkine_…
#DidYouKnow The Haffkine Institute Building was originally the official residence of the British Governor of Bombay, till 1885 (after which, it moved to the present Malabar Hill location).

Post 1885, it became the records building, and then Haffkine's 'Plague Laboratory' (1899).

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More from @aparanjape

20 Oct
Today is the 46th Punyatithi of Krishnarao Ganesh Phulambrikar ('Master Krishnarao').

"Master Krishnarao was an Indian vocalist, classical musician and composer of Hindustani music. He was credited with the creation of three ragas and several bandishes."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishnara…
Master Krishnarao was also the music composer of several movies, including Dharmatma, a 1935 Hindi film starring Bal Gandharva and Padosi, a 1941 directorial venture of V. Shantaram.
Master Krishnarao was born at Alandi, near Pune.

He got into Marathi theatre as a child artist by performing as an actor-singer in Sant Sakhu, a musical drama produced by Natyakalapravartak Mandali.

He first got a chance to learn Indian classical music from Sawai Gandharva.
Read 8 tweets
19 Oct
#OldJokesThatHaveGoneStale

Jokes need to be refreshed and updated😉..Here are two often repeated examples:

1. Punekars shutting shop from 1-4 pm (Chitale example)
2. IMD forecasts are opposite of what happen

These may have had some validity few decades back, but not anymore!
Yes, the old Pune city of a few decades back had many business establishments shutting shop in the afternoon. Not anymore. Very few continue that old tradition.

Out of the 20+ @ChitaleGroup company and franchise stores in #Pune...my guess is only 1-2 continue the practice.
Almost all new stores and of course, malls are open all day. True for the old city stores as well.

Of course - many Punekars (like me) may not mind the old afternoon 'siesta' jokes :) ...(even we recycle them at times!)... but worth noting, they are a bit anachronistic now.
Read 6 tweets
1 Oct
#Pune's famous 'Huzurpaga Girls High School' completes 136 years today. It was established on Oct 2, 1884 by Vaman Modak, Justice M.G. Ranade, R.G. Bhandarkar, Shankar Pandit.

It was one of the pioneers in higher secondary girls education in India in 19th century.

(1895 photo) Image
#HuzurPaga #Pune

The school originally started in the Walvekar Wada in October 1884.

18 students were registered on the first day. Within 8 days, the number went up to 45.

huzurpaga.org/about-us.php
In March 1885, Sangli's ruler Shrimant Patwardhan gave the present land (located off Laxmi Road) to the school, on a 99 year lease.

On March 4, 1885, the foundation stone of the new building was laid by Governor Fergusson. (Fergusson College was setup the same year in #Pune).
Read 6 tweets
29 Sep
ICMR's sero-survey shows about 6-7% exposure in the Indian population (that's 80-90 million people) by August.

Given around 100,000 reported deaths - that implies a death rate of 0.1 to 0.12 percent?
Urban slums are at 15.6%, other urban areas at 8.2%. Rural areas at 4.4%. (National average).

Of course, numbers for some cities like Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi will be much higher. So will the rural numbers for rural areas in some districts like Pune.
Also, the number of 6-7% is as of end of August.. likely to be much higher by now (end of September).

So if anything, the death rates will be lower.

However, if death count is incorrect and underestimated, then the death rate will be higher.
Read 4 tweets
27 Sep
Feel sorry for Tewatia... but this has to be one of the worst batting performances in IPL in 13 years.

Not just the super slow strike rate chasing 220+....but the number of wild swing and misses.

Just not his day today!
Okay ...now Samson not taking a single...to stay on strike.
...and now he goes 6-6-6-6-0-6 !!

Crazy stuff :)

As the legendary Bill Lawry would say... "It's all happening here!"
Read 4 tweets
24 Sep
Remembering Satish Dhawan on his 100th Janma Tithi - The great leader who shaped India's early space program and laid the foundation of @isro's successes in the years and decades to come.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satish_Dh…
isro.gov.in/prof-satish-dh…

@radhakr272 @PrinSciAdvGoI @PMOIndia Image
"Satish Dhawan: The Story of The Legend Who Shaped India’s Space Programme"

thebetterindia.com/126404/satish-…
'Remembering Prof. Satish Dhawan: My Reverential Role Model'

linkedin.com/pulse/remember…
- @radhakr272 (Former Head of @isro) Image
Read 5 tweets

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