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Several yrs ago I was assigned to work on a baseline survey of the tribal people at Kolli Hills. The prospect of a week of fieldwork with clean, pure mountain air and great scenery was exciting.The drive abounds with lush greenery, beautiful vistas, snaking up 70 hairpin bends.
It was my first experience working at the grass-roots level. I visited one village panchayat every day and mobilized crowd to discuss many topics like food, health and disease, education, lifestyle, livestock, agriculture and migration. It was very interesting
We were especially keen to involve womenfolk in contributing to the research. We'd be greeted with colorful rangolis at the meeting site and it made the whole experience very special.
The villagers were very warm and welcoming. Wherever the survey took us, they offered us oranges, bananas and guavas grown in their backyards or farms. Their hospitality was strikingly different from what one experiences with the city folks.
Despite the natural setting I was sad to learn that their traditional way of life was steadily eroding. Once centered on indigenous millets, their main diet had become restricted to rice with very low intake vegetables, milk or eggs in their diet. Small shops sold Lays n pepsi.
One of the appalling things for me was when I got to know how these people have lost their culture of home remediesâbased in the Siddha medical system. Kolli Hills is endowed with natural resources that produce traditional herbs with amazing healing potential. But pch.
The tribal people we interviewed claimed they had nobody to teach them native methods. Most people lost their vitality due to lack of awareness.
Even for as something as simple as a headache, they go to Town aaspathri (Namakkal hosp) and get injection. Even placebos might work for them. A lot of knowledge that was present amidst us is gone forever. No Govt/institution wants to fund research on herbs (this was my exp)
Why this thread?
Cos I'm noticing a lot of us easily dismiss certain practices/habits just cos our earlier generations advocated it. Wouldn't it be nice to see if there is some weightage to what they said/did?
Not talking abt blindly following anything in d name of tradition.
Cos I'm noticing a lot of us easily dismiss certain practices/habits just cos our earlier generations advocated it. Wouldn't it be nice to see if there is some weightage to what they said/did?
Not talking abt blindly following anything in d name of tradition.
I'm often at loggerheads with my doc friends who refuse to try out any other alternative medicine. I've seen how my best friend gets her 5 y.old to take antibiotics the moment he has a runny nose.She said the kid becomes cranky n she can't handle him.
What abt building immunity?
What abt building immunity?
Our food practices and eating habits have worsened. What our great grandparents ate and had were SO much better in terms of quality and variety. Nutritional content present in 4 idlies is not the same today. Our eating capacity has not altered. So how do we make up? Supplements.
I just wish we would not dismiss traditional knowledge without giving it a try. Not everything will work.
But somethings do.
Personally, I try to include a lot of nature cure remedies to resolve issues that I have.
But somethings do.
Personally, I try to include a lot of nature cure remedies to resolve issues that I have.
Things like herbal soup, oil bath frequently, fasting (once in a while), waking up early.... all that were practised in our culture/tradition.
I don't know if this is patriotic in any sense but sometimes I'm so glad that I was born in this culture which had so much to offer.
I don't know if this is patriotic in any sense but sometimes I'm so glad that I was born in this culture which had so much to offer.
