HUMAN RIGHTS FOR INDIGENOUS WAY OF HEALING IN ADIVASI INDIA

The Adivasis India till the British Government and later Indian Government interfered had their own traditional way of healing, effective all through the past centuries, by the traditional use of herbs, shamans, other para medical healings and healers. The tribal system of healing or the indigenous practices of traditional healings are popular even today, times more effective when modern medicinal system fails. Among the Bhils of Jhabua there is popular saying that the traditional Bhil healers 'Martaan nen jivad de' meaning even the dead are brought back to life. But in the last two or three decades, an enormous harm is done to the traditional, tribal, indigenous or Adivasi way of healing, in the sense the forests are cleared by the non tribals and the Government, traditional practices are prevented, as the faked doctors take control of the tribal or the Bhil health in the country side. Instead of empowering, enriching and further elevating the tribal healers by training they destroyed the tribals in several ways and one is this by impoverishing them, in their own health and healing context. Today in the town like Jhabua and other places in the same district, faked doctors regularly healing the Bhils and outdated medicines are being sold freely with no control. Every now and then media persons bring these to light and Government does symbolic gesture to control the vice with no serious interest and proper effect.

The Bhil Badwas (priests and medicine men) assert when the tribal patients are brought to them for indigenous healing and they say, ' if the patients suffer from genuine sickness or affected by some spiritual powers, they can help , but if made sick by doctors, taking faked medicines, then we are helpless to do any indigenous healing.' Due to the interferences in the tribal or indigenous systems or traditional knowledge, the traditional and beautiful skills are vanishing in indigenous India and expensive as well faked system is overtaking and being imposed by the non tribals since over three decades on the tribals which they hardy can afford except at the cost of their land, cattles, other wealth and savings.

Considering the positive aspects and traditions of Bhil healing, Mama Baleshwar Dayal appealed to Government of India in last century, for studying systematically the indigenous health system of the Bhils and to get it approved for their chealy available local healing. The Government of India did respond positively then, and made a study of some 241 herbs used by the Bhils for the medical healing where as there were over one thousand or more. The work was not satisfactorily complete and the files were closed.

Mama Baleshwar Dayal the renounced socialist leader of the country had vision to produce these indigenous herbal medicines in cheaper way, for the tribal India, so that the huge tribal funds spent by the poor Bhils would be saved for more creative purposes. His vision never saw the light up to today and no NGOs also paid any attention in Bhilanchal region, except for the expensive tribal projects, through which they can help themselves. A great damage is continuously being done by the non tribals to the tribal funds, health and the indigenous system. Besides there is no respect for the tribal cultures in India by the non tribals on the contrary the faked and expensive systems of allopathic is being imposed for impoverishing and looting the tribal money by the non tribal doctors. Is justice being done to the tribal/indigenous/Adivasi traditional human rights today.....?

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HIV/AIDS AMONG THE BHILS OF JHABUA

The widely and fast spreading disease like HIV or AIDS was unheard among the Bhils of Jhabua, MP, India until they started to migrate some 30 years ago to Gujarat and other places due to two major failures: rains and Government. First failure is unpredictable and natural but the second one is calculated in depriving the tribals of their human rights to food, employment, and above all to their social survival, much due to their own corruptions in administration. In the case of second failure much is assured for the relief to the tribals and in fact the funds and help does arrive in abundance, but in reality it hardly reaches, where as 70% or above these days find their own employment thus proving that they are independent, self sufficient and self employed.

According to one of the leading HIV/AIDS social worker Jimmey Nirmal(30) running a center for patients of this particular disease at Jeevan Jyoti Hospital Meghnagar, says, that there are already 150 identified and registered cases with the state Government of Madhya Pradesh, receiving the treatment. Earlier some 60 to 70 patients died of HIV/AIDS without being registered Jimmey Nirmal confirms. According to him the causes of this illness is migration and in the places of work where the Bhil males mainly make sexual contacts with other opposite and non tribal partners in the cities of Gujarat like Baroda, Ahmadabad, Surat , etc. He says 48 cases of the AIDS are of advance stage and the remaining ones are of HIV. These patients are mainly between the age of 30 to 40 years.

Tribals are ignorant of the disease including the Government schemes for the treatment. It has come to them from outside due to sheer poverty, ignorance and temporary joy. There may be more than 50 cases of this disease still to be identified in this region. One of the Ayurvedic doctors in the Jhabua district is of the opinion that there is one HIV patient per 1000 Bhils in Thandla area. But according to Jimmey who is well informed in this context, says that there must be 1 HIV patient per 700 Bhil persons in the district.

In this region Government policies are slacking for the care of the HIV/AIDS patients due to which patients are suffering much. Their finances get over, no income at home, unable to work, community members maintain sufficient social distance, suffer slow but steady death, family gets impoverished in all perspectives, sell all the resources at home, affected persons of the family mainly parents die and children are rendered orphans in the course of time.

Jimmey Nirmal says that there is a lot to be done in this field and he intends to dedicate himself for the care of HIV/AIDS patients as a full timer in the near future.

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