As a child, whenever I was unwell, parents or other elders in the family would take care. They alone used to decide what was to be done to make me well and healthy once again. If required, they would decide which doctor or healer I needed for medical advice. I never was so unwell that an admission to the hospital was ever required. It was always a few days’ rest and some medication that made me stand on my feet again.
When I joined GGM Science College, Jammu, after passing my high school examination, I knew exactly who to consult in case I felt unwell. It was Hakeem Somnath Ji, who was popularly called Pippal Wala Hakeem. His small clinic was established under a Peepal tree. He was like a family elder who knew each and every member of our joint family by name. Most of the medical issues faced in the family by any member were invariably resolved by him.
He was the first “go to person” in case a family member was unwell. I too followed suit. Whenever I felt the need to consult him for small issues concerning health, I would just visit him. You did not seek an appointment those days.
The protocol was well laid, understood and followed by the doctor and the patient. I would touch his feet as a matter of paying my respect to him. After customary acknowledgement, he would instinctively take my right wrist in his right hand and start reading the pulse.
Until then, no questions were asked and no answers were given by me. The pulse reading might take two to five minutes, on an average. After the pulse examination, he would look into my eyes by way of an examination. Then he would ask me to open my mouth and show him the tongue.
By this time, I usually became restless and would attempt to tell him why exactly I was visiting him. This was never appreciated by him. He would simply wave his hand that was his polite way of telling me to shut up. Most of the times, he knew exactly what was wrong with me without letting me open my mouth to speak !
This behaviour of Hakeem Ji and his unorthodox examination methods to find out what exactly was the problem fascinated me to no end. He knew exactly how many days’ treatment was required and give out the medicines exactly for the same time. Rarely, I had to go back to him for an extended medication. That was the precision he had acquired in his medical skills in the ayurvedic system of Indian medicine. So much for the medical advisor to my paternal family.
My maternal grandmother lived in a big house in Kali Janni, just opposite the house of renowned revolutionary Dhanwantari Mahey. She lived there with the families of her two sons. Our maternal grandfather, a tehsildar of yore, had already passed away. Whenever we were in Jammu, we used to shuttle between the maternal and paternal grandparents’ houses on a daily basis.
The “go to doctor” for the maternal side of the family was one Dr Barkat Ram, a well known allopathic practitioner of old days’ Jammu. He had his clinic on the first floor of a building right at the Sabzi Mandi chowk of the old Jammu city near the Parade Ground.
My maternal grandmother (Nani) was a heart patient, so we were told. Unlike the scared heart patients of today, she was a very well dressed, good looking lady who knew exactly what to eat and what to wear. She was a very choosy foodie and was not scared of eating well, quite unlike a modern heart patient.
She used to consume a very well chosen and balanced diet. It consisted of a variety of vegetables, green salads, and a selection from mutton, fish and chicken. She would also eat an abundant amount of fruits and nuts. Milk too was consumed by her on a daily basis. She never complained like a typical scared heart patient on whose face we see shadows of upcoming demise. She never scared the wits out of the family members on account of whatever heart ailment she suffered from. I remember Coramine was the name of the medicine prescribed for her heart by Dr Barkat Ram. I think this was the only medicine of choice available during that time.
She was also prescribed to take Gajar Ka Murabba (carrot preserve), which she consumed everyday. So, it was always a delectable fare for her. Our paternal grandmother (Dadi) was diametrically opposite to our Nani. She was a simple soul who would dress up mostly in pure whites. She was a pure vegetarian and lived a frugal life spending most of her time in prayers and chanting bhajans.
Carrot preserve used to be employed as a heart tonic in the ayurvedic system of medicine. It is still known to be of great benefit. It is a known fact that red carrots contain good amounts of lycopene, which helps prevent heart disease. This is accepted by the allopaths of the world , especially the cardiologists. Carrots boost our immune system. The vitamin C in carrots helps our bodies build antibodies. These antibodies defend our immune system. Vitamin C also helps our body absorb and use iron and, thereby, prevent infections. So, it was a plain and simple carrot preserve and Coramine for heart ailments.
With the passage of time, our paternal joint family got fragmented when one of the elder brothers of my father bought a house of his own and started living separately. This brought in a new doctor by the name of Dr Vasudev Sawhney to our fold. He was very friendly with our uncle and had a consultation chamber in Moti Bazar. He was a daily visitor and became friendly to us all. He too was an allopathic doctor who we consulted as and when required.
There existed two in Jammu two healers known by the name Prakash brothers in the area opposite Hari Talkies. Their shop was always full of visitors seeking their medical treatments. They were so busy that they hardly had time to even listen to the complete history of the patient, leave alone any detailed examination. I think they prescribed medicines just by looking at the face of the patient !
So tiring was their daily schedule that the brothers spent the entire day attending to the patients in shifts. And when they eventually used to shut the shop late at night, the money earned during the day was carried home in a small sack.
Can you imagine the popularity of the Prakash brothers that even my aunt from the erstwhile Bombay sought their medicines for her ailing child, my first cousin. I don’t think the medicines prescribed by them did any miracles, in this case at least.
People used to come to these popular healers everyday in hordes. The popularity always seemed to be in an ascending mode. This shows that most of their patients must have survived after consuming their medicines. Nobody knew about their qualifications to prescribe the medicines. Nobody even cared ; neither the patient, nor the city administration.
I recall two more healers of Jammu of yore. Both bore the name William. One was a medical healer, head of the SMGS hospital ( Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh hospital ) whilst the other William was a spiritual healer, a priest. The former was Dr William Ribeiro and the latter was known as Father Aziz William.
Both the Williams were popular and revered in their respective spheres. Both were keeping the citizens happy and healthy. Father William was a great lover of Urdu poetry. He hailed from Sialkot and spoke fluent Punjabi and English. I was lucky to receive blessings from Father William and managed to stay away from the scalpel of the other William, a surgeon.
Jammu has grown much beyond what we could have imagined as young lads in the city. From one old steel bridge across river Tawi, we have progressed to have five bridges, besides flyovers and better roads in the city. But the traffic congestion gives us no respite. Revered river Tawi looks like a sick stream, full of filth on her banks. People eat sub-standard food items doled to them. Gone are the days when milk and curd were sold at the same price and you could swear by the quality of milk products.
There are several hospitals of various denominations in the modern city of Jammu. But, the health system itself is sick and the government hospitals have gone from bad to worse. Shortages of medical staff (doctors, nurses and helpers) plagues those responsible for the health of the citizens. The GMC (Government Medical College ) hospital is incapable of handling the workload of Jammu city itself, yet it caters to patients coming from Poonch, Rajouri, Bhadarwah and Kishtwar.
People need a workable and dependable health system more than the flyovers, hotels and tourism. You will ply on the next generation flyovers only if you survive a heart attack or stroke or an accident. We beg our leaders to think about what kind of progress the people need.
To my mind, health and education were a priority when we gained freedom from the British. Seventy five years later, even today, these two remain our topmost priorities. When shall these priorities, these dreams of the common man, be realised for the nation ? This is a question that needs not only an answer or assurance, it needs a true realisation.
I recall Jan Nisar Akhtar’s advice :
Ankhon mein Jo bhar loge to kanton se chubhenge /
Yeh khwab to palkon pe sajane ke liye hain //
( if you keep dreams in your eyes, they sting like thorns /
Dreams are just to decorate your eyelids !)
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