BLOOD AND SOIL

In 1792, the Anglo-Mysore war takes place. Tipu Sultan’s forces mutilate the nose of Cowasjee, a bullock cart driver working for the British army. When the British doctors see the injured Cowasjee, they are perplexed. Upon learning about Chhagabhai Bijabhai Rathod, a venerable native from a family that has long practised the ancient art of Nasika Sandhana, the British visit the remote village of Kumbharwada in Poona to inquire about him. Rathod agrees to reconstruct Cowasjee’s nose and the British surgeons observe a miracle unfolding in front of their eyes. This story recounts a watershed moment in the history of plastic surgery and corrective rhinoplasty—and how it all began with the ancient sage Susruta.