| More
Information |
|
|
|
|
| Title |
Incentivising Creativity-II |
|
|
| Details |
How does a person live to be 100 years old? What is the secret behind a good and long life? Do we find satisfaction, equanimity or even happiness in a long life? What has been the strife that many of the centenarians have lived through due to famine, plague and other calamities at the turn of the last century. Can we find wisdom in foolishness when age approaches a century? And what can we learn from them about climate change, living frugally and coping with hardships and difficulties. SRISTI’s study of centenarians is a collection of profiles of people who have lived 100 years and longer. There is a tribal couple that has crossed a century and continues to age gracefully, in Dhandhora village, Chota Udepur, Gujarat. The 92-year long journey as a couple for 107-year-old Chotiyabhai Radathia Rathwa and 104-year old Khapriben Chotiyabhai Rathwa will inspire many to aim for a long and happy life. Chotiyabhai and Khapriben did not receive much education. Chotiyabhai recalls how, during their youth, the villagers used to build the roofs of all the houses together. They practiced mixed farming to reduce risks. When there was a high rainfall, only paddy would grow. When there was low rainfall, banti [Echinochloa crus-galli var. frumentacea (Link) W.F.Wright] and arhar [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] would grow. Moderate rainfall allowed all the crops to grow. They had a variety of 27 different types of vegetables to eat. Their staple diet is called vagedu, which is made of equal portions of rice and kodri [Setaria italica (L.) Beauv.]. The cooking oil they use is made from mahua [Madhuca longifolia] seeds. Barring festive occasions, they use very little oil over the food. They use less spices in their cooking. Chotiyabhai remembers tales from his elders about the infamous Vikram Samvat, 1956 famine. During those days, they collected edible leaves from the thick forests and fed them to the animals after boiling. They had barely survived the famine when the first rains resulted in an outbreak of disease, killing many animals. About three years after the famine, there was a massive rat infestation wherein the rats ate away both the sown and stored crops. This turned out to be worse than the 1900 famine. They mixed mamejawa [Enicostemma littorale Blume] seeds and neem [Azadirachta indica A. Juss] with grains to keep stored grain pests away. They made lightweight fences by using arhar stalks and covered them with cow dung. Similarly, cow dung-smeared bamboo grain storage bins were made. To protect themselves from the rains, they made umbrellas out of teak wood. For driving away mosquitoes, they used to carry pots with burning cow dung cakes while weeding. Chotiyabhai is a man content with his life. He has allowed little external influence on his way of life. He still roams around in his traditional attire and he still boils chicken without any spices. The couple has five children and the joint family has 46 people. At the age of 107, he can still climb toddy trees- an art which only one of his sons has learnt. The Honey Bee Network wishes them even more health and longevity. Hopefully, eight years later, the couple would celebrate their hundredth wedding anniversary. Vol 23(3) Jul-Sep 2012 |
|
|
| Volume No. |
Honey Bee 25(4) & 26(1) 114, 2014-2015 (25 years celebration) |
