(63 children have died in Gorakhpur’s BRD Medical College and Hospital over the past five days amidst a rush of patients in peak encephalitis season from July to October. This article was originally published on 22 February 2017 as a part of The Quint’s Uttar Pradesh election coverage and is being republished from the archives.)
At the Gorakhnath temple, there is an unending stream of devotees through the day, content with making their earthly offerings and happy that their prayers would be answered by the 11th century saint interred there. About eight kilometers north of Gorakhpur town, the flow of anxious men and women into the building that houses the encephalitis ward at the BRD Medical College and Hospital is equally – if not more – heavy.
The first is an abode of Hindu spirituality in the northeastern corner of Uttar Pradesh while the second is a dark chamber where infants every year – between July and October – fall prey to the deadly Japanese encephalitis virus.