We see that the today’s global health crisis has affected India’s 1·3 billion people badly. Like global strategies to remain indoors with minimised physical interactions and use of face covers, India’s guidelines to encourage physical distancing, against Gandhi’s ideology, they also are a measure to curtail spread of a pathogen between individuals and within communities. Similarly, while untouchability in the Gandhian era was demarcated by a hierarchical caste system, in the present-day pandemic situation, staying away from an infected person could be the best practice to remain uninfected. Likewise, drifting away from Gandhian doctrine on “neighbourhood is my responsibility”, a person well informed on preventive aspects of an infectious disease today would rather be inclined to safeguard himself or herself first than help neighbours. Therefore, a certain amount of fear psychosis in socialisation could protect people from getting infected. This is in contrast to the Gandhian doctrine of “freedom from fear”, which otherwise was coined to remain fearless from British atrocities in India. There exists the key implementation of a new paradigm for caries management is necessary for the profession to respond effectively to changing population health needs. The FDI Global Caries Initiative (GCI) is a 10 year programme aimed at developing and implementing a new paradigm for caries management, one that would contribute to a common vision of health.
During the young age of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi wanted to go to England to study medicine. His father, who had been a diwan or a high-ranking government official had just passed away two years ago. It was Gandhiji’s elder brother who dissuaded him from pursuing medicine because he said their father would have disapproved of the decision; since the Gandhis were Vaishnavas, they would have nothing to do with dead bodies. His brother suggested instead, it would be wiser to study law and become a barrister, which is what Gandhiji did. He also advised people to control their diet by giving up spices and condiments as much as possible. What was important, he would say was to be able to control the mind so we eat only as much as the body needs, and not to satisfy our taste buds. Just as we breathe in air for life and drink water to quench our thirst, food should only be had to satisfy hunger. Gandhiji believed, such practices brought us closer to God and conformed to the laws of nature and served us better than consuming innumerable drugs which had harmful effects on our body. He said, just curing an ailment is never enough, the body and soul need to be treated as well. For this, nothing was more effective than Ramnama.
In his entire life we see that Gandhiji nursed the ailing and there is plenty of evidence to show that he wanted to be a doctor more than he wanted to be a lawyer. He practised law for about twenty years and then quit but for as long as he lived, he continued working to heal the sick. He was also a firm believer of naturopathy and conducted experiments related to diet and fasting. He always believed that it was important to understand what caused diseases and then remove that very cause, rather than falling ill and then attempting to treat it with excessive medication. Towards the health we see Gandhiji believed in using simple, inexpensive methods to treat different diseases. These included massages, baths, fasting, earth bandages and being in an environment of clean, fresh air. Harajan quoted that “You may say you do not believe in Him. You do not know that but for His will you could not draw a single breath. Call Him Ishwara, Allah, God, Ahura Mazda. His names are as innumerable as there are men. He is one without a second. He alone is great. There is none greater than He. He is timeless, formless, stainless. Such is my Rama. He alone is my Lord and Master.”
P M Sudeesh*
Writer is a Development Communicator and Counselling Psychologist who is a Fellow in Gandhian Philosophy at National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN), Department of AYUSH, Govt. of India.
