3. Around A Medicinal Creeper – K.P. Poornachandra Tejaswi
Key Characters:
1. K.P. Poornachandra Tejaswi (the narrator)
2. Mara (the local man who knows about the medicinal plant) 3. Sanna (the boy who brings the creepers from the forest)
4. Appanna (another local man)
5. Krishna (a rickshaw driver searching for the medicinal creeper)
6. The white man (doctor in Hulihindalu)
7. Malayali godman (healer who advises Krishna)
Major Themes:
1. Herbal medicine and traditional healing.
2. The contrast between folklore and scientific understanding.
3. Nature and environmental degradation.
4. The importance of preserving indigenous knowledge.
5. The relationship between people and plants.
Key Concepts:
1. Medicinal properties of plants.
2. Folklore and myths about healing.
3. The survival of traditional knowledge.
4. The influence of Western medicine on local practices.
5. Communication and understanding between different cultures related to medicine.
II. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.
(2 Marks Questions)
1. Who is the main character in the story?
Answer: The main character in the story is K.P. Poornachandra Tejaswi, who narrates his experiences in the forest.
2. What does Mara do with the creeper?
Answer: Mara ties the medicinal creeper to a nearby tree to ensure that it stays in one place, following a belief born from a sage’s curse.
3. How long did the narrator take to learn about the medicinal creeper?
Answer: The narrator took almost twenty years to learn about the medicinal creeper.
4. What did the white man want from Mara?
Answer: The white man wanted to identify the medicinal plant that Mara used to treat his injury.
5. What happened to Krishna when he ate the root of the creeper?
Answer: Krishna was cured of his piles after mixing the tuberous root with milk for five days.
6. What did the narrator experiment with in the story?
Answer: The narrator experimented by mixing the leaves of the creeper with milk to see if it would curdle.
7. How did the creeper affect the narrator’s heel pain?
Answer: After eating a piece of the tuberous root, the swelling on his heel disappeared.
8. What does Mara’s character represent in the story?
Answer: Mara’s character represents the blend of folklore, superstition, and knowledge related to medicinal plants.
9. How does the narrator feel about Mara’s stories?
Answer: The narrator is both amused and sceptical about Mara’s stories, often seeing them as tall tales.
10. What was one misconception about the creeper that Appanna shared?
Answer: Appanna believed that squeezing the juice from the leaves could cause milk to become hard.
11. Why did Mara tie the creeper to a tree?
Answer: Mara tied the creeper to a tree because, according to local belief, it was cursed by a sage so that whoever needed it would not find it.
12. What is the significance of the creeper’s characteristics mentioned in the story?
Answer: The creeper’s characteristics, such as its leaf shape and seasonal growth,
highlight its medicinal potential and introduce the reader to traditional plant lore.
13. What does the narrator’s interaction with his doctor friends suggest about knowledge of plants?
Answer: The narrator’s interactions with his doctor friends suggest a gap between traditional knowledge and modern medical understanding, where folklore is often dismissed.
14. How does the story illustrate the theme of environmental degradation?
Answer: The story reflects environmental degradation by showing how knowledge of medicinal plants is fading as forests disappear and traditional knowledge is neglected.
15. What role do stories play in Mara’s communication about the creeper?
Answer: Stories serve as a way for Mara to share knowledge and mystique about the creeper, blending truth with fiction to keep cultural traditions alive.
16. How does the author blend humour with serious themes in the narrative?
Answer: The author blends humour through Mara’s quirky stories while contrasting them with serious themes about traditional medicine and the importance of knowledge preservation.
17. Why does the narrator question the effectiveness of the creeper?
Answer: The narrator questions the effectiveness of the creeper because he wants to discern between the myth and potential actual medicinal properties through personal observation.
18. What message about traditional healing does the story convey?
Answer: The story conveys that traditional healing practices are valuable and should be preserved, as they can still provide solutions where modern medicine may fail.
19. What was the narrator’s initial reaction to learning about the creeper’s medicinal value?
Answer: The narrator was initially sceptical about the creeper’s medicinal value but became curious enough to conduct his own experiments to uncover the truth.
III. Answer the following questions in about 60 words each.
(3 Marks Questions)
1. Discuss the significance of Mara’s stories in the context of the narrative.
Answer: Mara’s stories are significant as they illustrate the rich tradition of folklore surrounding medicinal plants. They captivate the narrator and the reader, prompting exploration of both truth and myth in herbal medicine, while emphasizing the need to preserve such knowledge.
2. What does the author imply about the relationship between science and traditional knowledge?
Answer: The author implies that science and traditional knowledge can coexist, but there is conflict and misunderstanding between the two. The narrator’s scientific curiosity contrasts with traditional beliefs, highlighting the need for further research and integration to preserve native medicinal practices.
3. Why does the narrator decide to conduct an experiment with the creeper’s leaves and milk?
Answer: The narrator decides to conduct the experiment to verify the claims about the creeper’s medicinal properties, driven by curiosity and a desire to understand its potential benefits, despite skepticism from his peers about the validity of local beliefs.
4. How is the theme of knowledge transmission explored in the story?
Answer: The theme of knowledge transmission is explored through the interactions of the characters, where wisdom is passed down through stories, yet is at risk of being lost due to modernization and fading cultural practices, emphasizing the urgency to document and preserve such knowledge.
5. Describe the changes in Krishna’s health after using the medicinal creeper.
Answer: After using the medicinal creeper’s root, Krishna initially experienced improvement in his condition, as he stopped passing blood and regained his strength. Within five days of treatment, he was completely cured, demonstrating the real-life potential of traditional remedies.
6. How does the reaction of the narrator’s friends reflect societal attitudes towards traditional healing?
Answer: The reactions of the narrator’s friends, who mock him for experimenting with traditional plant knowledge, reflect a societal attitude that often dismisses indigenous practices as outdated or unscientific, highlighting the divide between modern medical approaches and traditional healing wisdom.
7. What emotions are invoked when the narrator reflects on the loss of knowledge about herbs and plants?
Answer: The narrator feels a sense of nostalgia and urgency when reflecting on the loss of knowledge about herbs and plants, realizing that with each passing elder, valuable information is lost. This evokes sadness and a desire to document and honour these traditions before they vanish.
8. In what ways do the stories shared by Mara enrich the narrative?
Answer: Mara’s stories enrich the narrative by providing a humorous yet insightful perspective on local beliefs, bringing life to the relationship between people and their environment. They serve as a lens to explore themes of knowledge, belief, and the value of medicinal plants.
9. What contrasts are established between Mara and the white doctor from Hulihindalu?
Answer: The contrasts between Mara and the white doctor lie in their approaches to knowledge; Mara embodies traditional wisdom and local experiences, while the doctor represents a scientific, systematic view of medicine, highlighting the cultural clash regarding herbal remedies.
10. What implications arise from Krishna’s successful treatment with the creeper for modern healthcare?
Answer: The implications from Krishna’s successful treatment suggest that there could be valuable interventions from traditional medicine that modern healthcare systems often overlook. It underscores the need for integrative approaches that respect and incorporate indigenous knowledge while ensuring patient care.
(FROM QUESTION BANK)
- How long did the author take to learn about the medicinal creeper?
Answer: Almost twenty years.
- What was to be protected from the sun by putting up a shade over it?
Answer: A coffee seed bed.
3. Who brought some creepers from the forest?
Answer: Sanna.
4. Where did Sanna bring the creepers from?
Answer: From the forest.
5. Why did Mara scold Sanna?
Answer: Because Sanna plucked the medicinal creeper.
6. “Hey, why did you pluck this, you fool?” said Mara. Here Tool’ refers to.
a) Sanna b) the author c) medicinal creeper
Answer: a) Sann
7. Who tied the medicinal creeper to the tree?
Answer: Mara.
8. What did Mara do when he found the medicinal creeper?
Answer: He tied it to a nearby tree.
9. According to Mara, The thief was.
a) Sanna b) the author c) the medicinal creeper
Answer: c) the medicinal creeper.
10. According to Mara, who had cursed the medicinal creeper?
Answer: A sage.
11. What was the curse of the sage on the medicinal creeper?
Answer: That when someone needs the plant, they shall not find it.
12. What do the leaves of the medicinal creeper resemble?
Answer: Betel leaves.
13. The medicinal creeper bears fruits in a bunch like.
Answer: grapes.
14. When does the medicinal creeper come up every year?
Answer: Immediately after the rains.
15. Mara tied the medicinal creeper to a tree so that it.
a) needed the support of a tree b) should not run away
c) could be easily located
Answer: c) could be easily located.
16. When did Mara cut his hand?
Answer: While cutting bamboo shoots.
17. Whom did Mara go to when he had a cut in his hand?
Answer: The white man at Hulihindalu.
18. Where did the white man live, in the lesson ‘Around the Medicinal Creeper’?
Answer: Hulihindalu.
19. What was the surprise when the white man opened Mara’s bandage?
Answer: There was no blood or wound at all.
20. How did Mara convince the white man that he had a wound on his hand?
Answer: By showing the blood on his clothes.
21. What did the white man offer Mara if he showed him the plant?
Answer: His entire plantation.
22. The white man threatened to shoot Mara if he.
a) didn’t take him to the forest b) didn’t show him the plant c) had no wound on his hand
Answer: b) didn’t show him the plant.
23. On which side did Mara not have any teeth?
Answer: The right side.
24. How did the stick taste when Mara was brushing his teeth?
Answer: It tasted sour.
25. What did Mara and his friend wrap the meat of the barking deer with?
Answer: Leaves.
26. What did Mara find when he opened the packet of the meat of the barking deer?
Answer: A live wild buck.
27. Where did Mara’s wife throw the leaves which were used to pack the meat?
Answer: Into the fire.
28. What did Appanna say about the medicinal creeper when it was mixed with milk?
Answer: That it makes the milk hard.
29. Name the plant pathologist in ‘Around the Medicinal Creeper’.
Answer: Mr. Chandru.
30. What was Mr. Chandru in ‘Around the Medicinal Creeper’?
Answer: A plant pathologist.
31. What happened when milk was mixed with the leaves of the medicinal creeper?
Answer: The milk became firm and rubbery.
32. Krishna was working as after stopping his work in the narrator’s estate.
a) rickshaw driver b) doctor c) plant pathologist
Answer: a) rickshaw driver.
33. What was Krishna suffering from?
Answer: Passing blood with his stools (piles).
34. What was the only allopathic treatment for piles according to the narrator?
Answer: Surgery.
35. What did the doctor advise for Krishna’s piles?
Answer: Surgery.
36. Who treated Krishna when he had got boils all over his body? Answer: The Malayali sadhu (godman).
37. ‘Godman’ refers to.
a) Mara b) Krishna c) Malayali sadhu
Answer: c) Malayali sadhu.
38. What did the author do when he found the tuberous root of the medicinal creeper?
Answer: He ate a small piece of it.
39. What was the taste of the tuberous root of the medicinal creeper?
Answer: Slightly bitter.
40. When did the swelling in the author’s right heel disappear?
Answer: A few days after he ate the root.
41. Why did the Malayali sadhu share his knowledge of the medicine with Krishna? Answer: Because he was too old and weak to search for the plant himself.
42. When would the medicines lose their potency, according to the belief of native doctors?
Answer: If they told others about their medicines.
43. How do the mongoose and cowcal save themselves from snakebite?
Answer: By chewing the leaves of the medicinal creeper.
IV. Answer the following questions in about 100 words each
(4 Marks)
1. Why did Mara tie the medicinal creeper to the tree?
Answer: Mara tied the medicinal creeper to the tree because he believed it had been cursed by a sage. The curse stated that whenever someone needed the creeper, they would not be able to find it. By tying it to a nearby tree, Mara ensured that it would not escape and would remain in a known location. This action reflects Mara’s deep connection to local beliefs and his understanding of the plant’s importance, showing the blend of traditional knowledge and superstition that surrounds the medicinal creeper in their culture.
2. What was the curse of the sage? What did Mara do when he found the medicinal creeper?
Answer: The curse of the sage on the medicinal creeper was that it would be impossible for anyone in need of it to find it. If someone searched for the plant, they would not be able to locate it at all. When Mara found the medicinal creeper, he immediately tied it to a nearby tree, believing that this would make it easier to find again in the future. His actions reveal the significance of the creeper within local beliefs about medicinal plants and show how deeply rooted these superstitions are in the community.
3. What was the narrator’s opinion about Mara tying the medicinal creeper to a tree? Answer: The narrator, while intrigued by Mara’s actions, views them with a mix of
skepticism and curiosity. He recognizes that Mara’s reasoning for tying the creeper to a tree stems from a belief in the sage’s curse, which seems somewhat ridiculous to him. However, the narrator also acknowledges the practical aspect behind Mara’s action; by tying the creeper, he is categorizing it as a significant medicinal plant that might otherwise be lost amid the forest. This illustrates the narrator’s struggle to bridge the gap between scientific understanding and traditional folklore.
4. How differently did Mara and the author think about tying the medicinal creeper to a tree?
Answer: Mara and the author had differing perspectives on the act of tying the medicinal creeper to a tree. Mara believed it was essential to tie the plant in order to fulfill the sage’s curse and ensure it would not run away, demonstrating his adherence to local superstitions and beliefs in the plant’s mystical properties. The author, on the other hand, found Mara’s reasoning bizarre and questioned the necessity of such an act. This contrast illustrates the tension between traditional beliefs and modern scientific inquiry, as the author is curious about the medicinal qualities of the creeper beyond the folklore.
5. What happened when Mara was cutting the bamboo shoot? How was he cured? Answer: While Mara was cutting a bamboo shoot, he accidentally cut himself on the
hand, causing a severe wound that bled heavily. Alarmed by the amount of blood, people nearby bandaged the injury with a leaf they thought was medicinal. Mara then sought proper treatment from the white doctor at Hulihindalu. Upon examining Mara’s injury and unwrapping the bandage, the doctor was surprised to find no wound or blood at all, realizing that the leaf had somehow healed Mara’s injury. This incident added to the mystique surrounding the medicinal properties of local flora and deepened interest in traditional remedies.
6. Why was the white man ready to give his entire plantation to Mara?
Answer: The white man was prepared to give his entire plantation to Mara in exchange for information about the plant that had miraculously healed Mara’s cut. The white man, intrigued by the medicinal properties of the leaf that seemed to have completely healed the wound without a trace, believed that such a plant could be incredibly valuable. His eagerness to obtain the plant demonstrates the clash between traditional knowledge and Western medicine, where the promise of discovering a potent remedy led him to make extravagant offers, valuing local knowledge over conventional medical approaches.
7. Why did the white man threaten to shoot Mara?
Answer: The white man threatened to shoot Mara because, after searching for the plant that had healed Mara’s hand, he believed that Mara was withholding information about its location. Despite initially being interested in the healing properties of the plant, the white man’s frustration grew after an entire day ofsearching without success. The threat of violence underscores the desperation felt by the white man to find this valuable plant, illustrating a dramatic moment in which both cultural misunderstandings and differing values between natives and foreigners converge.
8. How was Mara treated when he had a cut in his hand?
Answer: When Mara had a cut on his hand, he was initially treated by his companions who pressed a medicinal leaf against the wound and bandaged it with a cloth. However, when he sought treatment from the white doctor at Hulihindalu, the doctor found that the bandage did not contain a wound or any blood at all. Mara showed evidence of bleeding on his clothes which led the doctor to believe his story. Upon discovering no injury, this incident showcased how local remedies can sometimes yield unexpected and compelling results, further contributing to the lore surrounding medicinal plants.
9. What story did Mara narrate about his fallen teeth?
Answer: Mara narrated a peculiar story about how he lost all his teeth on the right side of his mouth. He claimed it wasn’t due to age but rather an incident involving a sour stick he used to brush his teeth. While in the forest, he brushed his teeth with a stick that tasted sour and upon rinsing his mouth with water, all the teeth that had touched the stick fell out. This bizarre tale reflects Mara’s colourful storytelling and adds layers of humour and intrigue to his character, compelling the narrator and readers to question the veracity of his stories.
10. How did Mara lose his teeth only on the right side of his mouth?
Answer: Mara lost his teeth only on the right side of his mouth due to an incident while he was brushing his teeth with a sour tasting stick he had found in the forest. After using the stick, he rinsed his mouth with water, and astonishingly, all the teeth that had come in contact with the stick fell out. This strange occurrence led to a loss of teeth concentrated on one side of his mouth, confounding the narrator and highlighting the humorous and mythical quality of Mara’s narratives.
11. How did Mara save himself from losing all his teeth?
Answer: Mara saved himself from losing all his teeth by realizing that he had not brushed all of them with the sour stick. If he had brushed all his teeth, he might have ended up losing every single one. Being aware of this fortunate circumstance allowed him to retain the teeth on the left side of his mouth, thus ensuring he could still eat. This situation humorously emphasizes Mara’s unintentional luck amidst a bizarre turn of events, adding to the narrative’s exploration of superstition and the playful nature of local folklore.
12. Narrate Mara’s story about the meat of the barking deer changing into a live wild buck.
Answer: In an amusing tale, Mara recounted how he and a friend caught a barking deer, skinned it, and wrapped the meat in leaves for transport home. However, when they opened the packet at home, instead of finding the meat, they were shocked to see a live wild buck jump out. In the chaos of trying to catch it again, Mara’s wife accidentally threw the leaves into the fire. This story illustrates the fantastical and humorous elements of Mara’s storytelling and adds to the mystique surrounding local beliefs about nature and its inexplicable occurrences.
13. How did the milk become firm and rubbery?
Answer: The milk became firm and rubbery when the narrator and his friend Chandru conducted an experiment by mixing the leaves of the medicinal creeper with the milk in a mixer. Initially, it seemed like nothing would happen as they observed the mixture, but after a few moments, they noticed the milk had curdled and taken on a firm, rubbery texture. This surprising result demonstrated that the medicinal creeper did possess some interesting properties, prompting the narrator and his friend to further examine the plant’s potential without previously believing in its capabilities.
14. Describe the experiment conducted by the narrator and his friend Chandru to know about the hardening of milk.
Answer: The narrator and his friend Chandru decided to conduct an experiment to test the claim that the leaves of the medicinal creeper could harden milk. They obtained a litre of milk and mixed it with the leaves in a mixer to thoroughly combine them. Initially, they observed the mixture for a couple of minutes, expecting nothing to happen. Just as they were about to give up, they checked again and found that the milk had curdled and become firm and rubbery. This unexpected result demonstrated the interesting properties of the creeper and piqued their interest in further exploring its medicinal potential.
15. How was Krishna cured of his illness?
Answer: Krishna was cured of his illness by using the tuberous root of the medicinal creeper. Initially suffering from piles, he had consulted a doctor who advised surgery. However, he sought help from a Malayali sadhu who instructed him to find the medicinal creeper, dig out its root, and mix it with milk. Following this guidance, Krishna consumed the mixture over five days and, to his relief, experienced significant improvement in his condition and was completely cured. This effectiveness showcased the potential of local, traditional remedies in addressing health issues.
16. How did the Malayali sadhu cure Krishna of his piles and boils on his body?
Answer: The Malayali sadhu cured Krishna’s boils and piles using traditional remedies from nature. When Krishna had boils, the sadhu advised him to consume the bark of a specific tree mixed with duck’s eggs over a course of ten days. This treatment was successful, as Krishna reported he never had boils again after the sadhu’s medicine. Later, when Krishna faced the issue of piles, the sadhu provided him with instructions on how to find the medicinal creeper and use its tuberous root mixed with milk, which ultimately led to his full recovery.
17. Narrate how the swelling of the narrator’s right heel disappeared.
Answer: The swelling in the narrator’s right heel disappeared after he ate a small piece of the tuberous root from the medicinal creeper. He had been suffering from pain and swelling near the bone of his heel, which had caused him discomfort and led to recommendations for surgical intervention. After consuming the root, he noticed a gradual improvement—within a few days, the swelling vanished completely. Although he was initially unsure if the disappearance was purely coincidental, the timing suggested that the root may have had a therapeutic effect on his condition.
18. Why are India’s native medicinal systems on the verge of extinction?
Answer: India’s native medicinal systems are on the verge of extinction due to several factors, including urbanization, deforestation, and the influence of modern medicine. As traditional knowledge is passed down orally, the declining population of individuals knowledgeable in herbal remedies contributes to the loss of this wisdom. Moreover, the younger generations tend to gravitate towards allopathic treatments, viewing them as more credible and effective. Many indigenous plants that are vital for traditional medicine are disappearing due to habitat loss, further limiting access to these resources. The marginalization of traditional practitioners and the lack of formal recognition for their knowledge also threaten these systems, leading to their gradual decline.
19. What has made the modern man lose the knowledge of traditional medicine?
Answer: The modern man has lost the knowledge of traditional medicine due to various societal shifts and influences. The rise of technological advancements and the prioritization of scientific methods in health care have diminished the perceived value of folk remedies and alternative medicine. Educational systems that focus exclusively on modern medical practices do not incorporate traditional methods, leading to a lack of understanding and respect for indigenous knowledge. Furthermore, globalization and urbanization have disrupted local practices and communities, causing younger generations to distance themselves from culturally significant healing traditions. This cultural disconnect, along with rapid lifestyle changes, has resulted in a loss of traditional medical knowledge and practices.
20. Is the author suggesting that Indian herbal medicine is safer than allopathic medicine? Discuss.
Answer: The author suggests a nuanced view regarding the safety of Indian herbal medicine compared to allopathic medicine. While he highlights the effectiveness of traditional remedies, particularly as seen through Mara’s experiences and Krishna’s recovery, he does not overtly dismiss the value of allopathic treatments. Instead, he illustrates that herbal medicine is a significant part of cultural heritage and community wisdom that remains largely unacknowledged by modern medical practices. The author calls for an integrative approach, valuing the benefits of both systems. He implies that herbal medicine can be beneficial and sometimes even preferable, particularly for those who cannot afford surgical solutions, but emphasizes the need for proper research to understand its full potential and safely integrate it into modern health care.
21. The incident of Mara’s wife throwing the leaves into the fire reflects the ignorance of India’s native medicinal systems. Discuss.
Answer: The incident of Mara’s wife throwing the leaves into the fire underscores a profound ignorance and disconnection from the significance of traditional healing practices. This act symbolizes a lack of awareness about the medicinal properties associated with local flora, which may have been passed down through generations. It highlights the potential loss of valuable knowledge about the plants that the community uses for healing. This ignorance is exacerbated by the influence of modern lifestyles that prioritize convenience over traditional understanding, reflecting a broader societal trend where traditional practices are undervalued and forgotten. Such incidents serve as a reminder of the importance of education and awareness in preserving native medicinal knowledge, urging the need to recognize and respect the wisdom embedded in cultural practices concerning health and healing.