At first glance, the house of Athram Bheem Rao at Kanchanpalli seems to be like any other regular structure of Raj Gond adivasis with a lot of space for backyard farming. A closer look, however, will reveal that it is an example of how adivasis live, or lived to be precise, in harmony with nature.
Until shrinking space and shortage of water came to trouble the tribal homeland in the erstwhile united Adilabad district about two decades ago, backyard farming came as a tradition to the Raj Gonds and other aboriginal people like Kolams, Pardhans, Thotties and Naikpods. The farms were full of ordinary fruit-bearing trees which not only provided supplementary food but also proved to be a great medicinal value, curing even the cattle of usual ailments.
“Commonly found trees like pomegranate, papaya etc have some medicinal value too,” pointed out Kanaka Ambaji Rao, a Raj Gond youth from Marlavai village in Jainoor mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district who is involved in reviving such Adivasi traditions at present.
“And so do some types of vegetables like ladyfinger and brinjal,” he added, indicating that aboriginal tribes had benefited in more ways than one from the usual practice of backyard farming.
“This is Saraswati patri used to enhance memory and cure typhoid,” Bheem Rao, who is known as Kanchanpalli Raja for belonging to the erstwhile ruling family of Chandrapur kingdom, pointed out towards a relatively rare creeper at his house located in Sirpur (U) mandal of the same district. “This pomegranate exhibits a rare phenomenon of growing fruits in clusters,” he pointed out a bunch of dozen pomegranates growing from the same stalk.
The backyard of the veteran also has ordinary plants like tulsi (basil), amla, custard apple, mango, guava and some flowering trees like hibiscus. He explained in detail about the medicinal value of all the fruit bearing trees. “Adding lime juice to dry hibiscus flower powder turns into hair dye,” the Raj Gond elder continued. “This is a natural hair dye,” he added.
Bheem Rao also has knowledge about many types of tubers found in the forest of Adilabad which used to be the dietary supplement of adivasis until not long ago. “Even the poisonous kehkagadda (Gondi name of a type of underground tuber) can be eaten after treating in properly,” he asserted.
