Oupada: Even as he is past his 10th decade, centenarian Budhhi Mallik, a resident of this block in Balasore district, has never been in need of a walking stick or any other aid to do his daily chores.
It was only a few days back that he wore a pair of spectacles to read some of his favourite books. Born in 1917 at Baddhi village in Badapokhari panchayat, Mallik had lost his wife Umamani in 1999.
Though losing the life partner at that stage of his life was a big blow to him, it couldn’t bog him down and he continued to lead a healthy life. Interestingly, Mallik has never taken a single allopathic drug in his lifetime and rarely used a few herbs to recover from common ailments.
“This may be the secret behind my long and healthy life,” said the father of seven. Mallik, recalling the important events during his long life, narrated the bloody scene of Khairati firing that took place September 28, 1942 and rocked the state. He shivered to mention the spine-chilling incident in which three brave freedom fighters – Raghu, Makar and Kelu – of his area laid down their lives to British bullets.
This apart, he had also walked all the way to Nilagiri to catch a glimpse of Mahatma Gandhi, claimed Mallik. The man has travelled to all the major places of pilgrimage of the country including Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram.
Earlier, he used to work hard at his farm but abstained from it some five years back after he was asked by his family to stay away from farming activities. “I am a devotee of Srima, Sri Aurobindo and Radhakrishna. I have no regret in life since I lead an active and joyful life with my sons, daughters, grandsons, and great grandsons,” Mallik says.
Though he regularly gets old age pension from the government, the centenarian is yet to get a concrete house under IAY or PMAY, it was learnt. PNN