Patalkot
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. Additional information may please be sent as messages to the Facebook community, Indpaedia.com. All information used will be gratefully acknowledged in your name.
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
As in 2021
Amarjeet Singh1, August 19, 2021: The Times of India
Sunrays don’t quite reach here, neither has Covid. A dozen villages in the mysterious Patalkot valley in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district haven’t had even a single case of Covid-19 though the pandemic has raged all around for one and a half years. Nestled in a gorge, this area is shielded from direct sunlight by a cliff overhang and is a treasure trove of medicinal plants.
A 250km drive from Bhopal, much of it through the lush forests of Satpura Tiger Reserve, Patalkot is the land of mists and myth — some believe this is where Mata Sita descended into the earth while others say Lord Hanuman entered the netherworld here to save Lord Rama and Lakshman.
The myths endure, so does dusk-like feel at noon. Government files tell you that there are 21 villages in Patalkot, but only a dozen are well inhabited. The others have a couple of huts each, together adding up to around 7,000 souls. Most of them are Bhuria tribals — a Gond sect — who make a life and living out of the incredible vegetation that surrounds them, crammed with medicinal plants. These villages get sunlight for around four-five hours a day since they moved up from the deepest parts of the valley some years ago.
“There are no Covid cases in the villages of Patalkot. So far, we have done sampling of around 700 people there,” Tamia block medical officer, Dr Naresh Lodhi told TOI.
One of the reasons is obvious — it’s hard to get there. Hard on the knees.
Until some years ago, the only way in and out was by rope. Now, a road has been built, still the only way to reach the villages is an arduous trek. The administration here keeps a close eye on those who visit this land of mystery. With minimal outside contact, Patalkot residents are cocooned from the virus.
“There were two cases during the first outbreak a year ago. But both of them had a travel history. They had returned from other places. No resident of Patalkot has been infected,” Lodhi said. “Initially, villagers did not allow even our teams, who had to go there on foot for sampling. There were rumours and resistance, however, later the people understood,” he said.
Antlal Bharti, secretary of Karyam Rated panchayat, one of three in Patalkot, told TOI, “We don’t go out, neither do outsiders come here. People here mostly keep to themselves. They even have our own system of medicine and fascinating knowledge of herbs. I have not seen any Covid cases here.”
The villagers have stuck to their traditional ways of life. Given the region’s topography, there was no electricity here till as late as 2018. It was then that the energy department hauled transformers on human backs, piece by piece, to provide power.
