Nirakarpur: The village ‘Bhoi Sahi’ under Dia panchayat of Tangi block in Khurda district is famously known as ‘Baidya Gaon’- which translated to English means a village of traditional Ayurvedic practitioners.
The name of the village often leads to curious questions by strangers on its past. This correspondent was also no different. After coming to know that Kabiraj Narayan Mohanty is the best person to answer the question, this correspondent met him.
Delving into the history, an amiable Mohanty narrated, “Once upon a time, a member of royal Bhoi dynasty suffered from piles. My great-great-grandfather was tasked with treating him. And he treated him for the disease successfully. The happy king then conferred upon the ‘Bhoi’ title on him. The village has since been known as ‘Bhoi Sahi’. And that single incident inspired the villagers to become Ayurvedic practitioners.”
As one enters, one would come across people busy at doing one thing or the other relating to their traditional vocation. Some can be seen coming to the village carrying leaves, herbs and roots; some others drying up roots and herb in sun. Many others can be seen crushing and grinding dried leaves, herbs and roots in iron mortars and ‘dhinkis’ (traditional equipment made of wood used for grinding, flattening or crushing grains).
Interestingly, these Ayurvedic practitioners don’t have any degree or formal education. They are treating people on basis of their experience. They run their families with whatever they get from patients.
But with the medicinal plants fast vanishing from jungles and the cost of roots and herbs available in markets increasing manifold, they find it difficult to keep their age-old tradition alive.
“Earlier there used to be all sorts of medicinal plants in abundance in jungles on nearby Chitrakut hill. They have now disappeared due to one or other reasons. As roots and herbs are not easily available and their costs have increased, we are not in a position to continue with our family tradition. Many have already switched track to different profession,” said Ayurvedic practitioner Jaykrishna Mohanty adding that without government assistance, the profession will die an unnatural death soon.
Echoing his feelings, Balunkeshwar Mohanty, another traditional healer, observed that they are getting patients but the profession is no longer earning them profits. So they are now finding it difficult to run their families.
Every year, these practitioners worship Dhanantwari, the Hindu god of medicine on the occasion of his birthday which comes on the thirteenth lunar day in the Hindu calendar month of Ashwina. On this day, all practitioners including seniors and juniors assemble at a place, read religious texts and discuss about various aspects of ayurvedic treatment style and latest development in medical science.
At the time of leaving the village, this correspondent had already understood that in this ‘Baidya Gaon’, patients with new diseases and old ones have a fair hope of getting cured given the dedication and deep expertise of centuries of the Ayurvedic practitioners.
PNN