Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A 55-year-old Aslam, who works with the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) here, suffered a paralytic stroke two years back. Allopathic treatment has brought him no relief. On Monday afternoon, along with his wife and daughter, Aslam visited the IGRMS campus, where tribal healers from all over the country have been camping since Saturday.
“One of my officers told me about this and I thought why not give it a try,” he told Free Press. Aslam was among the scores of people suffering from chronic diseases and problems that can only be treated through complicated surgeries, flocking to IGRMS premises, in the hope of getting some relief or may be a cure.
A 40-year-old Chandrakant Kumhre who is into IT business and lives in Rohit Nagar, was seeking relief from his knee joint pain. Doctors have told him that a damaged ligament was the cause of his problem. He came to know about the camp through newspaper reports and was accompanied by his 64-year-old mother, Savita Kumhre, suffering from low back pain and also pain in the joints. “I am already feeling somewhat better,” he said after Devsaran, a tribal healer from Chandauli district (Uttar Pradesh), applied a medicated oil to his knee.
As many as 44 stalls have been set up by tribal healers from different parts of the country, including Gujarat, UP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha and northeastern states at the five-day event. Kiran Tiwari (63) had a fall from a staircase about 30 years back and has been suffering from a spinal issue since then. She was bed-ridden for some time and still can’t walk properly. Doctors have advised a complicated spinal surgery, which she is unwilling to undergo. She was treated by Guni Pratai Bai Meena from Rajasthan.
Meena claims that she has had many VIP patients including the wives of Rajnath Singh and JP Nadda and the Governor of Rajasthan. The 70-year-old healer also trains others in the art and claims that she has trained many from abroad. GS Ghanshyam, a retired BHEL technician, said that he had been suggested knee joint replacement by doctors. “I am here to explore whether I can get relief from my knee pain,” he said.
A 90-year-old SK Majumdar, who has difficulty walking, said that he would only go for treatment involving external medicines. “I won’t take any oral medicine. I don’t know how my body would react to it,” he said. PRO of IGRMS, Ashok Sharma said around 1000 people are visiting the camp per day. The five-day ‘Herbal Healers Camp’ will remain open for visitors till September 25 from 10am to 6 pm.