Paper Title
Social Aetiology of Pandemics and Epidemics in India: Lessons Learnt from Covid-19

Abstract
Epidemics and pandemics are inherently social in nature and essence by virtue of the fact that they involve human agency for transmission and confront society as social facts to be targeted by social action. Pandemics like COVID-19 swing over geographical boundaries, knowing that globalisation is not only the prerogative of market realities and lead to unwanted ‘Pandemisation’. Consequently ‘Globalisation of illness’ has necessitated a shift towards integrated coordinated response to epidemic and pandemic monsters. However, this shift need not be as a substitute for strategic policy overhaul of a nation but rather a compliment to collective response. Indian society owing to its multiculturalism and peculiarity, has certain inherent vulnerability to pandemics. This paper attempts to identify the reasons and factors, which predispose India to biological risks especially COVID-19 and contribute in social prognosis. It also outlines certain reforms which may be taken at policy level to prevent and mitigate outbreaks at the earliest to avoid the epidemic and pandemic from reaching threshold. This would spare much infrastructure involvement and socio-economic fallout. This paper has mostly relied on secondary data with some primary data obtained from participatory approach via involvement with surveillance teams, while attempting to answer what are primary factors augmenting spread of COVID-19 in India. I hope this paper will be helpful to students, academicians, policy makers and general readers. Keywords - Pandemic, COVID-19, Globalisation of Illness, Pandemisation, Multiculturalism.