THE HOSPITAL HABIT

The tribal human, guided by instinct, silence, and trust in nature, allows the body to heal through time, elements, and ancestral wisdom — without fear, urgency, or interruption. In contrast, the modern man, conditioned to fear every discomfort and outsource every decision, rushes to the hospital at the first sign of suffering, having lost all memory of what the body already knows. Healing, once an intimate act of listening, has become a transaction of panic — and the deeper tragedy is not that he is sick, but that he no longer believes he can heal.

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To break a stubborn fever —

The San bushman chews wild roots and lies quietly under a tree.

The intelligent man goes to hospital.

To soothe infected skin —

The Toda elder applies cooled buffalo milk infused with forest leaves.

The urban man goes to hospital.

To ease labour pains —

The Gond woman chews raw bark in silence and squats by moonlight.

The educated man goes to hospital.

To reduce joint pain —

The Bhil woman rubs ash on her knees and warms her body by fire.

The smart man goes to hospital.

To bring down swelling —

The Warli farmer soaks a cloth in cool streamwater and sleeps in shade.

The modern man goes to hospital.

To purify blood —

The Santal healer fasts with bitter decoctions made from neem bark.

The civilised man goes to hospital.

To restore stamina —

The Kaani tribal chews arogyapacha leaf at dawn.

The informed man goes to hospital.

To soothe cracked feet —

The Baiga grandmother applies warm cow dung mixed with turmeric.

The sophisticated man goes to hospital.

To recover from childbirth —

The forest midwife keeps mother and baby in darkness and silence for seven days.

The developed man goes to hospital.

To disinfect wounds —

The Sahariya healer uses termite mound clay pressed gently onto skin.

The educated man goes to hospital.

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To clear internal heat —

The Kurumba man sleeps under the neem tree after chewing bitter root.

The urban man goes to hospital.

To ease toothache —

The Irula elder bites on a bark stick soaked in tree sap.

The modern man goes to hospital.

To stop diarrhoea —

The Malto woman drinks rice starch with roasted herbs and rests for a day.

The smart man goes to hospital.

To expel phlegm —

The Korku tribal steams his face with wild tulsi leaves.

The intelligent man goes to hospital.

To reduce eye redness —

The Chenchu boy blinks dew drops from a neem branch into his eyes.

The modern man goes to hospital.

To stop bleeding —

The Bharia woman presses spiderweb and ash onto a cut.

The sophisticated man goes to hospital.

To soothe migraine —

The Siddi elder applies roasted garlic paste on her temple and rests facing east.

The educated man goes to hospital.

To revive digestion —

The Kolam tribal drinks tender tamarind leaf decoction at sunrise.

The smart man goes to hospital.

To calm burning urine —

The Halakki woman drinks soaked coriander water under a banyan tree.

The urban man goes to hospital.

To cleanse a bloated belly —

The Paniya man fasts for a full day, drinking only bitter leaf water.

The intelligent man goes to hospital.

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To calm the mind —

The Soliga elder burns wild bark and sits silently by smoke.

The developed man goes to hospital.

To fight cold and chills —

The Dongria woman drinks pepper root tea and covers herself in warm leaves.

The modern man goes to hospital.

To mend a sprain —

The Bhil man wraps the limb in castor leaf paste and walks barefoot in dust.

The smart man goes to hospital.

To cure mouth ulcers —

The forest child chews on guava bark and spits into the earth.

The civilised man goes to hospital.

To stop vomiting —

The Lambadi woman sips cardamom broth under tamarind shade.

The intelligent man goes to hospital.

To recover from weakness —

The Katkari man eats boiled roots and sleeps without noise or people.

The urban man goes to hospital.

To soften menstrual pain —

The Tharu girl applies warm castor oil and lies facing the east.

The educated man goes to hospital.

To revive fading strength —

The Koya elder holds wild honey on his tongue before sleeping in silence.

The modern man goes to hospital.

To reduce rashes —

The Irula woman rubs crushed basil into her skin and rests naked in the breeze.

The smart man goes to hospital.

To clear sinus —

The Juang tribal inhales smoke from a crushed bitter bark.

The civilised man goes to hospital.

To balance fever and chill —

The Munda woman wraps neem, tulsi and turmeric in a hot bundle on her chest.

The sophisticated man goes to hospital.

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To fix indigestion —

The Baiga elder squats quietly and breathes deeply before chewing sour fruit.

The informed man goes to hospital.

To calm panic —

The Santal man walks barefoot in riverbed sand until his chest feels empty.

The modern man goes to hospital.

To heal ulcers —

The Bhil woman eats soft bananas and tree ash, then sleeps under tamarind.

The smart man goes to hospital.

To reduce feverish heat —

The Pardhi child lies under damp banana leaves with eyes closed.

The urban man goes to hospital.

To stop ear pain —

The tribal boy drips garlic oil into his ear and sleeps on the other side.

The educated man goes to hospital.

To break a spell of fatigue —

The Kol woman smears salt and ash on her soles and sings alone.

The intelligent man goes to hospital.

To expel worms —

The Bondo healer grinds bitter seeds and gives them before sleep.

The civilised man goes to hospital.

To heal chest congestion —

The Korku mother burns resin, covers the child, and chants softly.

The smart man goes to hospital.

To ease throat pain —

The Gond girl chews betel leaf and gargles river water.

The urban man goes to hospital.

To restore warmth —

The Baiga wraps hot stones in leaves and places them on the belly.

The developed man goes to hospital.

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To honour the illness —

The tribal elder watches the child sleep, says nothing, offers no hurry.

The educated man demands tests and goes to hospital.

To wait for healing —

The woman sits by fire, says a prayer, and lets the body try.

The modern man cannot wait.

He goes to hospital.

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