Ludhiana, November 26
Scene I: Outside the old district courts towards the Lakkar
bridge, there sits a roadside pain-healer who is surrounded by a host
of people from all walks of life. The man has a number of little
bundles of herbs arranged before him and he is stirring up a white
lump which he says is the magic remedy for all kinds of joint pains,
backache or a sprained leg. Whatever the cause, mere application of the white ointment would remove the pain, claims the roadside medicine man. The gullible among the curious crowd are trapped as they listen to the continuous, glib but convincing tongue of the clever guy.
The man does not sit there for the whole day. He is through with his business within a couple of hours as he fills up little plastic jars one by one for eager buyers.
Scene II: A little roadside shop along the boundary wall of Master Tara Singh College with little signboards in front claims to have the remedy for a number of diseases concerning the stomach, piles, sugar, blood sugar and so on. A little tin trunk and some glass bottles containing powders and liquids make up the rest of the shop. The man has two half naked children who look after the shop, whenever he is away on an errand.
Scene III: A complete tent which is big enough to accommodate not only the shop but living space as well. A couple of women and some children are watching from the background while the roadside vaid is holding a patient by the wrist and studying his pulse with all the attention in the world. The vaid is surrounded by an array of big plastic and glass jars containing some really weird-looking herbs. The cloth signboard outside the tent suggests that apart from all kinds of weaknesses, physical or mental, treatment is available for some other chronic diseases as well including non-fertility and so on. Treatment for impotency consists of three different courses which cost anywhere between Rs. 600 to Rs. 2000.
Scene IV: On the road leading from Mata Rani chowk to Meena Bazar, there sits a man with a typical tribal cap and a number of herbs and framed pictures all around him. In these pictures, the man can be seen with Rajiv Gandhi, Sachin Tendulkar, Maninder Singh, film stars, and so on. While some of these pictures appear to be real, others are doubtful. Looking at all those pictures, one wonders what all these people might have bought from the man. Nevertheless, it is a fine gimmick to attract and convince the gullible that he has treated all those personalities.
The business of roadside and other quacks in the city is flourishing at a brisk pace, thanks to a sizeable population of poor migrants who cannot afford to get a systematised treatment at a proper hospital. With diagnostic charges alone running into thousands of rupees these days, these poor migrants prefer spending a couple of hundred rupees on a prescription devised by these roadside quacks. The Focal Point area has perhaps the greatest number of quacks who are flourishing in various labour colonies and clusters in various phases of the industrial area. Even though these quacks come under fire for ill-treating the poor people, they are filling a void and serving a definite purpose, of providing cheap medical aid to the poor which is the secret of their success as well.
