We Tried to Buy Health… But It Was Always Free
- Madhukar Dama
- Apr 9
- 15 min read
An old village courtyard where a tired, urban family meets the wise healer Madhukar.
The family is frustrated despite spending lakhs on health.
The dialogue slowly reveals how health can't be bought, only remembered.
Scene:
A quiet, sun-dappled courtyard in Madhukar’s mud house.
A city family of four—father (Rajeev), mother (Smita), and their two kids (13 and 8)—sit cross-legged before Madhukar, the barefoot healer with a gentle smile and sparkling eyes.
Rajeev (sternly):
I’ve tried everything, Madhukarji.
Gym memberships, organic food subscriptions, health check-ups every six months, therapy apps, smartwatch trackers… still I’m bloated, anxious, always tired.
Smita’s hormonal, and the kids are hyper or sick all the time.
We spend half our income just managing our health.
Madhukar (smiling, stirring neem leaves in clay water):
You are managing sickness, not health.
Smita (defensive):
But we eat quinoa now.
Our pulses are imported.
We gave up sugar and switched to stevia!
Madhukar (sipping slowly):
You replaced poison with packaged poison.
One is white, the other has a green label.
The body doesn’t care about branding.
It wants simplicity, rhythm, rest, and love.
Rajeev (frustrated):
Are you saying all our spending was useless?
Madhukar:
I am saying your body has been whispering the same message daily:
“I can heal. Just stop interrupting.”
But instead, we buy another app, another appointment, another supplement.
You can’t buy a tree to grow faster by spraying currency on it.
You water it, give it sunlight, allow it to take its time.
Smita (softly):
Then why do we feel worse the more we try?
Madhukar:
Because health is not in things.
It is in your breath.
It is in your food when you touch it with love.
It is in your feet when they walk on mud.
It is in your sleep when it’s deep, without screens or fear.
Nature does not charge you for sunrise.
But you’re trying to pay someone to sell you artificial morning light.
13-year-old daughter (curious):
But what if someone gets very sick?
Like cancer?
Madhukar (gently):
Then you need both: urgent help and deep listening.
The question is—did we nurture the soil before the disease appeared?
Or did we keep borrowing health with pills and then wonder why the bank collapsed?
Rajeev:
But we thought more money meant better hospitals, better health.
Madhukar:
Hospitals can save lives.
But they cannot build life.
That happens when your lungs play with trees, when your stomach feels light, when your tears flow freely instead of being suppressed.
These are not things you buy.
These are things you return to.
Smita (teary-eyed):
But how do we return, Madhukarji?
We’ve strayed so far…
Madhukar (placing his hand on the earth):
Start here.
Walk barefoot each morning.
Grow one pot of coriander yourself.
Sit in silence for ten minutes daily.
Cook together.
Sleep early.
Hug your children without distraction.
Let your body know: “I remember you.”
Day 1: The Realisation
Scene:
Late afternoon, under the neem tree.
Rajeev is sitting on a rope cot, massaging his feet.
Smita watches the kids play with sticks and mud.
Madhukar joins them quietly.
Rajeev (reflectively):
I thought I was doing everything right—running, buying organics, avoiding sugar…
But I was just running away from myself.
Madhukar:
Today, you’ve paused.
That’s more progress than a hundred kilometers on a treadmill.
Smita (laughing nervously):
What should we do now?
Madhukar:
For one day, do nothing.
No to-do lists.
Just observe.
Let your body tell you what it needs.
Don’t react.
Listen.
Day 2: Morning in the Body
Scene: 6:30 AM. Birds chirp. The family sits groggy on the veranda.
Madhukar:
You’ve bought alarm clocks.
Let today be your body clock.
Did you sleep before 10 last night?
Smita:
Not really.
We were doomscrolling again.
Madhukar (smiling):
Every scroll tells your brain the world is unsafe.
Turn it off, light a lamp, rub some coconut oil on your feet, and breathe.
Your body needs to feel safe to repair.
Rajeev:
But I feel stiff.
My back hurts.
Madhukar:
That’s your spine saying, “Let me move naturally.”
Walk barefoot for 20 minutes on the soil.
Don’t jog.
Just walk and breathe.
Say thank you to each breath.
Kids:
Can we take off our shoes?
Madhukar:
That’s the idea!
Day 3: Eating with the Earth
Scene: Breakfast time. A simple plate of ragi porridge with jaggery, bananas, and soaked almonds.
Smita (hesitant):
No protein shake?
Madhukar:
That’s enough protein for your village ancestors to plough a field.
And they didn’t need a label or a lab.
Rajeev (taking a bite):
This tastes… real.
Madhukar:
It’s not what you eat—it’s what you digest.
Modern diets fill your plate, but clog your fire.
Simplicity is medicine.
Smita:
And no multitasking?
Madhukar:
Just eat.
Look at your food.
Thank it.
Chew 32 times.
Let your gut know it's safe.
Day 4: Silence and Stillness
Scene: Post-lunch. The kids are drawing in the mud. Rajeev sits cross-legged, eyes closed. Smita watches.
Madhukar:
Silence is digestion for the mind.
Rajeev:
I didn’t realise how noisy I was inside.
Even when I wasn’t talking.
Madhukar:
That’s borrowed stress—ads, notifications, deadlines.
Let them go.
Sit under a tree.
Breathe in four counts, hold for four, breathe out for four.
Smita:
I used to sit like this with my grandmother.
She called it soaking the sun.
Madhukar:
That’s the therapy.
Free, natural, ancestral.
And your skin knows exactly what to do with it.
Day 5: Touch and Connection
Scene: Evening. Smita is massaging her son’s head with oil. Rajeev is trimming the tulsi plant.
Madhukar:
You don’t need toys or gadgets.
You need touch.
You need togetherness.
Rajeev:
My son laughed more today than in the last month.
Madhukar:
Touch says what no words can.
And trees respond too.
See how that tulsi shines now?
Smita:
I feel like we were in a bubble… floating outside life.
Madhukar:
Most people live in a rented mind.
It’s time to return to your body and your soil.
Day 6: Unburdening the Past
Scene: Night. A small fire is lit. The family sits in a circle.
Madhukar:
Before healing, let go.
Speak one regret.
One worry.
Say it, then drop it in the fire.
Rajeev (softly):
I regret missing my daughter’s childhood chasing promotions.
Smita (crying):
I regret numbing myself with food and phones.
Madhukar:
The fire doesn’t judge.
It transforms.
Now, forgive yourselves.
And sleep early.
You’ve already begun healing.
Day 7: Health Returns
Scene: Dawn. The family is walking barefoot together, hands in hands, smiling, breathing deeply.
Rajeev:
I feel… lighter.
Calmer.
Is it really this simple?
Madhukar:
Always was.
You just forgot.
Nature never stopped waiting.
Smita:
What should we do now?
Madhukar:
Keep walking.
Keep cooking.
Keep touching the earth.
And never let anyone sell you what you already have.
Week 2: The Inner Return
Day 8: Cravings and Triggers
Scene: Afternoon. Rajeev stares longingly at a packet of chips he found in his bag. Smita is scrolling food reels. The kids are cranky.
Rajeev:
Just one bite can’t hurt, right?
Madhukar (calmly):
Or it can reopen the wound.
The body forgets pain fast, but remembers poison even faster.
Smita (guilty):
I suddenly want everything—pizza, coke, reels, a loud café…
Madhukar:
That’s the withdrawal.
You were not just eating junk.
You were distracting pain.
Now it’s knocking again.
Don’t suppress.
Don’t indulge.
Sit with it.
Rajeev (sighs):
It feels like a storm.
Madhukar:
Let it pass through.
Drink hot jeera water.
Walk slowly.
Cravings are not needs.
They are unprocessed feelings wearing a costume.
Day 9: The Overthinking Mind
Scene: Early morning. Rajeev is restless. Smita is journaling.
Rajeev:
What if this doesn’t last?
What if we can’t sustain it when we go back to the city?
Madhukar:
The city doesn’t control your breath.
Or your food.
Or your bedtime.
You do.
Smita:
But it’s noisy, polluted, fast… everything pulls you away from this peace.
Madhukar:
Then protect this peace like a child.
Nurture it.
Guard it.
Take your silence with you.
Your food habits.
Your rhythms.
You don’t have to escape the world.
Just stay rooted in yourself.
Day 10: Family Resistance
Scene: Lunch. The kids complain: “Why can’t we eat like other kids?” “We miss screen time.”
Smita (snapping):
I’m trying to make us healthy!
Stop complaining.
Madhukar (gently):
Health cannot be forced.
It must be modeled.
Are you joyful in this change?
Rajeev:
We got strict.
Maybe too strict.
Madhukar:
Lead with joy.
Involve them.
Let them cook.
Let them plant a seed.
Play old songs.
Dance together.
Health that feels like punishment will always be abandoned.
Day 11: Return of Old Pain
Scene: Night. Rajeev wakes with acidity and a headache. Smita feels bloated. Panic rises.
Rajeev:
Why now?
We’ve been so good.
Madhukar:
Because the toxins are leaving.
Healing looks like hurting, sometimes.
It's a cleaning, not a failure.
Smita:
But it’s scary…
Madhukar:
You spent years collecting imbalance.
Give your body time.
Sip warm ajwain water.
Rub castor oil on your belly.
Breathe.
Trust the tide.
Day 12: Rebuilding Bonds
Scene: Evening. The kids help grind chutney on a stone. Rajeev fixes a broken chair. Smita hums an old bhajan.
Madhukar (watching quietly):
See what’s returning?
Not just health.
Belonging.
Rajeev:
We forgot how to be a family without screens.
Smita:
I forgot I liked singing.
Cooking.
Sitting without guilt.
Madhukar:
The body heals when the heart is warm.
This is the real medicine: togetherness, effort, beauty, rhythm.
Day 13: Celebration without Excess
Scene: A special dinner. Banana leaf thalis. Handmade decorations. Clay lamps.
Smita:
We wanted to celebrate one full week without junk food and phones.
Madhukar:
Celebrate with what nourishes.
Sing.
Dance.
Hug.
Eat mindfully.
Celebration is not overconsumption—it’s overflowing presence.
Rajeev (grinning):
No cake, but I feel full. Inside.
Day 14: The Departure
Scene: Bags are packed. The car is ready. The family sits with Madhukar one last time.
Rajeev (holding Madhukar’s hand):
Thank you… for everything.
How do we not forget this?
Madhukar:
Every day, wake up and say,
“I will not buy health today. I will live it.”
Take one barefoot walk.
Cook one simple meal.
Sit in silence.
Touch a tree.
Laugh with your child.
Smita (teary-eyed):
Will we see you again?
Madhukar (smiling):
I’m in the breeze, the mud, the fire, the silence.
You’ll see me when you slow down.
The car leaves slowly. Dust rises. The neem leaves sway gently. The family waves. A new life begins—not bought, not forced, but remembered.
----
Week 3: The Return to the City — a time of pressure, noise, and old patterns lurking around every corner. But this time, the family holds a deeper strength. What was once noise is now seen as noise. What was once tempting is now understood.
Week 3: Healing in the Noise
Day 15: The Return Shock
Scene: Morning in the city. Honking cars, gray skies, apartment buzz. The lift smells of sanitiser and stress.
Smita:
My head’s already pounding.
I miss the neem tree.
Rajeev:
I almost ordered food on the app out of habit.
Smita:
I nearly turned on the TV just to fill the silence.
Rajeev:
The silence there was full.
Here it’s hollow.
Smita (remembering):
Madhukar said,
“Bring the silence with you.”
Rajeev:
Let’s light a lamp.
Cook something warm.
And not escape into noise.
Day 16: Peer Pressure at Work and School
Scene: Office. Rajeev is mocked for bringing homemade khichdi. Kids at school tease the children for not having chips.
Colleague:
Bro, you on a detox or what?
Live a little!
Rajeev (smiling):
I am.
Living more than ever.
Smita (to her son):
What did Madhukar say when others don’t understand?
Son:
“Be the tree. Others will sit under your shade one day.”
Smita (softly):
Exactly.
Day 17: The One Weak Moment
Scene: Late night. Smita is alone. She finishes her chores. Opens Instagram. Orders a chocolate pastry. Eats it. Then guilt hits.
Smita (whispers):
I broke the rhythm.
I failed.
Rajeev (joining her):
No.
You’re human.
Not a health robot.
Smita:
But Madhukar…
Rajeev:
Would have said:
"Taste it. Digest it. Don’t repeat it. And sleep with peace."
Smita (smiling):
I love him.
Rajeev:
He woke us up.
Now we keep walking.
Day 18: Building Sacred Spaces
Scene: The living room is rearranged. Plants, a floor mat, no screens. A corner lamp.
Smita:
This is our silence corner.
No phones.
Just sit, breathe, or hug.
Rajeev:
Sacred doesn’t mean fancy.
It means intentional.
Son:
Can I paint here?
Smita:
Only if you don’t say “I’m bored” afterwards.
Laughter echoes. A home temple of stillness is born.
Day 19: Emotional Healing Begins
Scene: Rajeev sits with his daughter. She’s been irritable.
Daughter:
Everyone at school looks perfect.
I hate my face.
Rajeev (gently):
The mud in the village made you glow.
But your eyes—those always had light.
Daughter:
Why don’t they see that?
Rajeev:
Because they’re all scared.
Everyone is trying to be accepted.
But you—you already belong to nature.
She hugs him tightly, crying. Healing moves into deeper roots.
Day 20: Setting Boundaries
Scene: Smita’s friends invite her for a late-night binge-and-gossip party. She politely declines.
Friend:
You’re so boring now.
Smita (smiling):
Or finally full.
Friend:
What’s the secret?
Smita:
Dirt.
Sleep.
Oil.
Stillness.
Love.
Try it sometime.
Day 21: Becoming the Guide
Scene: The apartment complex garden. Smita teaches a few women how to make herbal kadha. Rajeev shares simple movement exercises with uncles. The kids help plant curry leaf saplings.
Neighbour:
So you went to some jungle health resort?
Rajeev (grinning):
No resort.
A mud hut.
A healer.
And a reminder that we’re not broken.
Just buried.
Smita:
You don’t need lakhs.
You need rhythm, rest, and real food.
Neighbour:
Will you teach me?
Smita:
Let’s learn together.
Final Scene:
That night.
On their city balcony.
The moon is full.
The neem powder they brought from the village is drying on a cloth.
A small tulsi plant waves gently.
Rajeev:
We didn’t just visit Madhukar.
We brought him home.
Smita:
We thought healing was a destination.
But it’s a return.
Daughter (sleepily):
Can we go back there again?
Rajeev:
One day.
But right now—we’re already there.
----
Week 4: The Ripples Begin — where the family’s quiet, consistent healing starts touching neighbors, colleagues, friends, and strangers. Not through preaching or pride, but by simply being what others are yearning to remember.
Week 4: Health as a Quiet Revolution
Day 22: The First Curious Visitor
Scene: Morning. Smita is sun-drying moringa leaves. A neighbor peeks over the balcony.
Neighbor: What are you making? It smells like my grandmother’s house.
Smita:
Moringa leaf powder.
Great for the joints and mind.
Neighbor (shyly):
My BP is high again.
Pills aren’t helping.
Can I try?
Smita:
Of course.
But with it… try walking barefoot a bit.
And chewing slowly.
Neighbor:
You sound like an old saint.
Smita (laughs):
Just a tired mom who remembered what peace feels like.
Day 23: Office Shift
Scene: Rajeev brings soaked almonds, a brass bottle of water, and home-packed poha to work. A stressed junior watches.
Junior:
Sir, I had 3 coffees, skipped lunch.
My head’s spinning.
Rajeev:
Try skipping the coffee, not lunch.
And don’t rush while eating.
Junior:
You make it look easy.
Rajeev:
It wasn’t.
Until I stopped trying to fix things and started slowing down.
You want to walk during lunch break?
Junior (surprised):
You walk?
Rajeev:
Every day.
Not to lose weight—to find calm.
Day 24: Kid Power
Scene: The children are at school. During lunch, others watch as they eat millet khichdi and banana.
Friend:
Ew, what is that?
Son (confidently):
It’s real food.
Grows near our farm.
Want a bite?
Friend (takes bite):
Hmm.
Tastes... nice.
Daughter (adds):
My pimples got better after I stopped junk food.
Friend:
Seriously?
Tell me more.
Tiny revolutions often begin in tiffin boxes.
Day 25: Community Kitchen Moment
Scene: Smita and two mothers cook together. One brings chemical-laden masalas. Smita gently pauses her.
Smita:
Can we use whole spices today?
You’ll feel the difference.
Mother:
My mother used to.
But who has the time?
Smita:
We do.
When we make it sacred, not a chore.
They grind spices on a stone. Laughter returns to the kitchen. Aroma brings back memory.
Day 26: A Sick Friend Arrives
Scene: An old friend visits Rajeev. Diabetic. Fatigued. On 4 pills a day.
Friend:
You look ten years younger.
What gym, what supplement?
Rajeev:
No gym.
No supplement.
Just sunlight.
Simplicity.
Satvik food.
Rest.
Friend (tearful):
I’ve spent lakhs.
I just want to feel alive again.
Rajeev:
Then come back to life.
One walk.
One bowl of moong dal.
One honest breath.
Friend:
Will you guide me?
Rajeev:
No. I’ll walk with you.
Like Madhukar walked with us.
Day 27: The Family Circle Expands
Scene:
A group of five families gather on the terrace.
Smita and Rajeev light a diya.
They teach everyone a small 5-step daily healing rhythm.
Wake with the sun.
Drink warm jeera or tulsi water.
Walk barefoot for 10 mins.
One fresh home-cooked meal together.
Silence for 10 mins before sleep.
Aunty:
That’s it?
Smita:
Start with this.
You’ll see what else follows.
Uncle:
No need to buy any app?
Rajeev (smiles):
Just uninstall confusion.
Day 28: Becoming the Healers
Scene: Evening. Smita opens a small healing WhatsApp group for interested families—“Back to Balance.” Rajeev writes small reflections each Sunday. The children teach younger kids yoga and breathing games.
Friend:
You guys should charge money!
Smita:
Why sell what was always free?
Rajeev:
Our debt is to nature.
We’re just passing it on.
Voice note from Madhukar arrives:"
What you heal in your home, heals the world. Do it with silence. Let your lives speak louder than your words."
They listen quietly. The city glows with artificial lights.But inside this one flat, something truly luminous breathes again.
Week 5: The Healing Festival
A celebration of the small, the sacred, and the silently powerful.
Day 29: Planting the Seed
Scene: Rajeev sketches out a simple idea on paper — a neighborhood festival. No stage, no chief guest, no sponsors. Just families gathering to share food, stories, remedies, and joy.
Rajeev:
Let’s call it
“Jeevan Utsav — The Life Festival.”
Smita:
No loudspeakers.
Just birds, children, pots clinking, and maybe… a flute?
Children:
Can we perform a skit about junk food monsters?
Smita:
Perfect.
Let the healing be funny too.
Day 30: Preparation With Purpose
Scene: Families come together to clean the terrace garden. Old drums become compost bins. Discarded sarees become banners.
Neighbor Uncle:
We haven’t done this in 20 years!
Smita:
Maybe we weren’t sick.
Just disconnected.
Aunty (laughing):
My knees don’t hurt when we do this together.
Child:
That’s because we’re doing it with love, not pressure.
Even the city dust feels sacred today.
Day 31: The Festival Begins
Scene: The terrace is lit with oil lamps. No bulbs. No plastic. Mat-covered floors. Clay cups of herbal teas. The air is rich with lemongrass, laughter, and healing energy.
One corner has a millet food tasting counter.
Another has kids giving massages to the elders.
Smita demonstrates making tooth powder from neem and clove.
Rajeev leads a “five-sense gratitude walk.”
A quiet space has hand-written healing stories pinned with clothespins.
Smita (welcoming guests):
This isn’t a health camp.
It’s a health homecoming.
Day 32: Madhukar Returns
Scene: Just as dusk sets in, an old cycle cart enters the colony. A thin man with glowing eyes, wild beard, and a jute bag steps down. It’s Madhukar.
Children scream in joy. Adults freeze, some tearing up. He bows silently.
Madhukar (softly):
I came to see the saplings you planted.
Rajeev:
They are growing up.
Quiet ones.
Madhukar:
Then I will water them.
They offer him a floor mat, but he sits on the bare earth. Everyone slowly joins him. No one speaks for a few minutes. The silence is the highest celebration.
Day 33: The Wisdom Circle
Scene: Night. Lanterns flicker. Families sit around Madhukar like a satsang.
Aunty:
Why do you still live in a hut when you could be famous?
Madhukar:
Because fame needs fans.
Healing needs fire.
Uncle:
We wasted money on so many things.
Is there any shortcut left?
Madhukar:
Yes.
Stop running.
Start remembering.
Health is not a prize. It’s your default.
The thief is your lifestyle.
Teenager:
What should I become in life?
Madhukar:
First, become alive.
Then life will tell you.
Day 34: Letting Go
Scene: The festival is over. But no one wants to go. People sit quietly, sipping herbal water. Children play barefoot in the mud. No selfies. Just presence.
Smita:
I thought I needed retreats and books to find peace.
Rajeev:
Turns out, we just needed to pause… and return.
Madhukar (before leaving):
“You don’t need me now.
Let your breath be your guru.
Let your kitchen be your clinic.
Let your life be your prayer.”
He places his hand on their heads.
Like a blessing.
And walks away as simply as he arrived.
Day 35: A New Rhythm
Scene: Morning. No festival. Just life. But something has changed.
Rajeev waters the tulsi.
Smita teaches a neighbor how to make fermented kanji.
The kids write a comic book called “Super Daadi vs The Junk Giant.”
The WhatsApp group has grown into 5 more colonies.
No one’s selling anything. But everyone’s sharing everything.
Smita (writing in her diary):
"We tried to buy health for years.
But it waited patiently in our sun, our soil, our food, and our breath.
Free.
Fierce.
Forgiving.
We didn’t find it.
We returned to it."