From the very first stage of birth, every animal has to struggle for survival. Various obstacles, problems, diseases, pandemic or epidemic constantly beset their short-lived or long-lived lives. Sometimes it becomes very tough to overcome these obstacles and sometimes even impossible. Animals are always dependent on nature and climate. The entire world has to suffer due to natural calamities. The animals change their lifestyle and get habituated to the surrounding environment. Therefore, both the animal world and the human world are subject to vagaries of nature.
Virus, bacteria, and diseases constantly threaten our day-to-day life, food habit, and even the atmosphere. Some pathogens are naturally born while some others come to existence because of unhealthy food-habits and activities of human beings. There are certain pathogens which are transmitted from one person to another and take the form of epidemic. There is only one way to survive a devastating epidemic – awareness and prompt treatment. The conservation of environment is also essential.
Since time immemorial the tribal people or adivasis have been called ‘Jungli’ by the so-called civilized society. To some extent it is true as ‘jungles’ have always been an integral part of their life. They are dependent on jungle for their livelihood, for their life, family, culture and religion. This is one of the major reasons behind their protective approach toward jungles.
With the advent of Global Warming the materialistic civilized society is proclaiming the slogans of “Save Trees, Save Earth”, “One Tree, One Life” etc. But the adivasis have understood these mantras centuries ago. As long as adivasis are there, the jungles will be there. However, the process of removing adivasis from the jungles started long beck. At present the process gets accelerated by the emergence of new corporate entities. Twelve lakhs of adivasis have already been displaced from the jungles without proper rehabilitation. It may be noted that today the jungles are safe where the adivasis reside, whereas the jungles which the adivasis do no inhabit are vulnerable to destruction.
Massive portions of forests have been destroyed to extract minerals like coal, gold, diamond, bauxite, mica etc. There was a strong need for replanting new trees in these areas but no one paid attention. As a result these areas turned into barren land. In this scenario, the degradation of environment and birth of new diseases are very common phenomena.
The deforestation by the adivasis is very minimal. They do not think of making profit by cutting the trees of the forest. Women like Jamuna Tudu, Sarla Bain, Mira Bain and others stood against the deforestation alongside men. In order to protect the Alaknanda Ghati and Garwal region from landslide, Sundarlal Bahuguna started the Chipko movement. The Government is partly responsible for deforestation. For example, in 2019 Madhya Pradesh government gave the land of Baskbaha forest to the Essesl Minning and Industries of Aditya Birla group on lease. Now, at least 2.15 lakhs trees will be uprooted from 382.13 hector area of the forest. It will ultimately lead to the destruction of the jungle eco-system. The deforestation also leads to spread of various diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, malaria, yellow fever, zika etc. It is really interesting to note that the deforestation is taking place for the benefit of corporate businessman but not for building hospital, university or roads which are for the interest of common people.
The adivasis living in the forests lead a pure natural life and are fully or partially acquainted with the activities of nature. Therefore, they become alert even before natural disasters happen. When the catastrophic tsunami hit in 2004, there was widespread damage to life and property, but the Onge, Nicobarese, Sentinelese tribes living in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands saved themselves by climbing the mountains. By observing the movement of the sea-water and the strange behaviour of marine creatures, they correctly anticipated the great calamity in the ocean.
Adivasis collect various tubers, flowers, creepers, honey etc. from the forest and use them for daily food and medicine. They do not know the exact amount of calories, protein, vitamin, iron, minerals, fat etc. However, the simple food of the adivasis is nutritious as well as disease-preventive. Adivasis eat those things which the people of civilized society consider to be inedible.
Following is a brief list of food-items and medicines obtained from forest produce–
1) Root species of trees and plants
a) Gethi: It is a creeper plant, its tuber is tita. It is peeled and boiled or soaked in running water, and kept for a day so that its pungency goes away. It is cooked by adding jaggery. It relieves itching, scabies, stomach diseases and increases appetite.
b) Pitharu: It is a creeper species found in the forest, which is very tasty and healthy.
c) Aaru: This is also a creeper plant and its tuber is very big in size and the taste is astringent.
d) Sweet potato: This tuber is very sweet. It is a constipation reliever. It is boiled and peeled and eaten. It is also cultivated.
e) Sakar Kanda (Cassava): These plants are long and the tubers are also long in size. The skin is removed and boiled. By grinding it finely, the dough is prepared and the bread is made.
2. Various mushrooms:
a) Mushroom, Ossa / Khukdi (Fungus, Spongy plant): These grow in the rainy season. These are of many varieties. Those which grow like an umbrella are called muddiosa or porakhukdi because they are born in rotten straw.
b) Putu: These are of two types – some grow above the ground like white balls; and others grow beneath the soil and muddy in colour.
c) Balu-Bhudausakhukdi: The ossa or khukhari growing in the sand is small in size and the stalk growing in the bhud (ant-hill) is long and the hive is spherical. They have high starch content. Its quality has now become known to the civilized society, and its demand is increasing.
3. Ankur- The new-born bamboo plant is called Kharra or Karel. The bark is peeled off, and then it is thinly sliced and boiled. When cooked with meat, it absorbs the fat and becomes delicious like meat. Delicious pickle is also made from it.
4. Wild fruits - Various seasonal fruits are found in the forest, which are consumed by the adivasis as food, such as, kitty, char keund / kendu, pusra / lotko (kusum), jambu (junri), tuti (mulberry), dumbari (gular), podho (fig), bada / bar (banyan), dahu, amla, amda (bahda), amalaki, koga (soft fruit of semul) etc. All these fruits are beneficial to health.
5. Flowers - Wild flowers like philbiri gamhar, khadar (kanai dinga) blossom in the forests. The adivasis eat these flowers. The adivasi workers of the tea garden consume tea-flowers. The flowers of madgi / mahua (madulicalongifolia or bassialotifolia) are very beneficial. Liquor is also made from it.
6. Wild Leaves - Komadha / Koynar / Kachnar (Baubinia Variagate - Linn), katai / sarla, katmatia, kukdi, mukha / beng (dhankuni) greens, pokadha, tweezers, chakod etc. are found in the greens of forests and fields. Karmi and muchari (olekhda) are found in the water bodies.
7. Adivasi drinks:
a) Handiya (Rice-beer): Hadiya is home-made liquor made from rice. In making this, the bark of the khadar tree is mixed with rice and is finely crushed. From the flour, a small roti or cake is made which is called bichi or ranu. After cooling the uncooked rice, bichi or ranu is put in it. Micro-organisms grow in it and the juice is consumed as alcohol. Adivasis also offer this drink to their deities in the form of argha.
b) Maduya Handi: Handi of koday / madua (ebusineindica / millet) is also made by following the above method. Consuming it in proper quantity is beneficial for health. It cleans the bladder and relieves stomach ailments.
c) Bashi Pani (Stale water) - Water is kept in cold rice, which becomes sour after several days. Micro-organisms grow in this stale water which becomes very beneficial for the stomach. In summer, this stale water acts as a syrup and removes exhaustion.
d) Bothal Bhaat: In the kitchens of adivasi households they prepare rice differently. They rinse the gruel and pour cold water into the already cooked rice. When salt is added, the level of sodium chloride increases and if eaten with onions, one gets a significant amount of potassium.
During the ravaging cholera epidemic of 1817-24, nearly 2 million people perished in India. Surprisingly though, adivasi communities were unaffected by this epidemic, which then became a subject of academic enquiry for European scholars who went on to write multiple dissertations on this surprising immunity of the tribal people of India. They studied the dietary habits of the adivasis and found that their diet contained a particular preparation that closely resembles the modern ORS, which is a big scientific discovery. (Prof. Dr. Ajay Ravi, Gaya Medical College Hospital, Bihar)
Out of environmental concerns, adivasi people use bio- degradable utensils and containers in their ceremonies and social gatherings. To drink beverage, they use kheta dona made of saal leaves. For dinner they use numa sora and for curries and vegetables they use numa khala, which are made of dumbar leaves. In the absence of dumbar leaves, they use banana and lotus leaves, which are discarded after dinner. This is useful because it does not require any cleaning. These are bio-degradable and they do not harm the environment. Now we use plastic and thermocol plates, which are not bio-degradable and erode the environment. It is no wonder that each day we are faced with new diseases and health hazards. It is only because of their unique and ecologically considerate diet and lifestyle that the adivasis did not bear the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is a matter of great pain that our friends and families living in metropolitan areas such as Delhi, Mumbai, Patna, Siliguri have lost their lives due to this ongoing pandemic. They could have survived had they been living in villages and the countryside, which have remained largely Covid-free. People are dying in thousands in cities, while those living in the villages and especially the tea plantation workers have remained largely unaffected by Covid. The tribal people neither observe social distancing norms nor do they wear masks. Yet they have survived and are healthy.
The adivasi people who worked in different states and tested positive for Covid, had to quarantine themselves upon their return. They took the help of traditional medicines, along with allopathic medicine and are now doing just fine. And yet, a disease is a disease after all. One has to abide by the advice of medical professionals. It is also important to keep your surroundings clean and pollution free. The disease is airborne and we must reduce pollution. We witnessed an excellent drop in pollution levels during the 1st phase of lockdown. Even the river Ganges is now 70% less polluted than what it earlier was. We briefly stopped felling trees which came as a great relief to the wildlife. One has to become more ecologically aware if this world is to survive. Indiscriminate development has to stop if the human race is to survive and thrive. We must stop consuming chemically treated junk food and fast food and go for traditional ethnic cuisines. Only then will we be able to save ourselves from another pandemic.