Agnipankh is a 1962 Indian Hindi-language science fiction novel by M. P. Shiel, who wrote under the pen name Marcian Gregory. It was Shiel's first novel and he considered it to be his best work as an author. The word 'Agnipankh' means 'fire breath.' In Hinduism, Agni is the god of fire and the personification of fire as one of the five elements. The story is set in the year 2062, which was mentioned to be around "500 years ahead" of the time period when Agnipankh was published (1962). The events take place in Benares (now Varanasi) and it starts with the introduction of three brothers who are all medical students at "Benares Hindu University". The eldest brother, Amarnath, is about to become the Chief Minister of the United Republics (of India and Pakistan). An epidemic disease known as "the plague" has spread throughout much of Asia (and Africa) spreading like wildfire, and ravaging both rich and poor. It has reportedly killed millions. The three brothers live in a large private house with their wives and children. The youngest, Padam is a professor at the university and is considered to be one of the leading scientists in the world. He has been researching a new drug cure for the plague called "Agnipankh". Amarnath returns from Delhi on leave from his post as Chief Minister, and, suspicious of Padam's intentions, asks him how he intends to test Agnipankh on humans. Padam replies that he will perform the tests himself. Amarnath becomes seriously concerned that his brother will use human guinea pigs to test his new drug on, and tries to prevent it. One of the people affected by the plague is Narang, a writer who lives in Benares. He has written many books describing his experiences with the plague. His assistant, Mani, secretly brings Agnipankh to him to use as a cure. Mani does not tell Narang that it is highly experimental, and he dies soon after ingesting it. Amarnath becomes enraged at Padam's actions and stops his brother from administering Agnipankh to any more people until they can discuss the matter properly. Padam refuses to back down and prepares another batch of Agnipankh for someone else to receive it. The person he gives it to is Narang. The latter, however, dies soon after ingesting it. Amarnath becomes even more concerned about the situation and worries that Padam is not just experimenting on animals and may be testing this new drug on humans. He tries to confiscate Padam's laboratory and stop his brother from administering Agnipankh to anyone. But, he is unable to find the laboratory and discovers that Padam has already administered it to several people throughout India who have suffered from the plague without reporting back as he had been told. Amarnath becomes concerned that if Padam continues like this then an epidemic could break out that could destroy world civilization as we know it. 81eaaddfaf 42
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