Healing on the Hills: Bhariya Tribal Culture and Their Healing Practices

This talk delves into the healing practices of the Bhariya tribal community in Patalkot valley, Madhya Pradesh. It presents healing as a holistic process grounded in ecological harmony, rituals, and embodied knowledge. Illness is viewed as a disturbance in the balance between humans, spirits, ancestors, and nature. Ethnographic narratives highlight these interconnections and cultural understandings of well-being. The discussion draws on theoretical insights from Kleinman, Sax, and Csordas to frame Bhariya healing within broader medical anthropological debates. Ultimately, the talk challenges biomedical dominance of health and harmony.

Dr. Teekmani Patwari is an Associate Professor at Government PG College Chhindwara with over 15 years of teaching experience and a strong focus on cultural research. She has extensively studied the Bhariya tribes, producing a major monograph on their culture. Her work also includes monographs on folk deities and temple surveys, enriching regional cultural studies. A regular voice on Akashvani Chhindwara, she is an award-winning writer recognized for her literary and research contributions.

Ashwani Sharma is doctoral candidate in Medical Anthropology at Heidelberg University and a prolific writer with three monographs, numerous research papers, and detailed reports to his credit. He has worked with indigenous communities for over a decade and played a key role in drafting the nomadic policy for the Rajasthan state government. As a visiting faculty at the Police Training Academy in Raipur and a regular contributor to the Tribal Museum in Bhopal, he actively bridges academic research with field engagement.