Bio masks: Leaves come in handy for tribals
Coronavirus outbreak has led to people resorting to some ingenious ways to overcome the paucity of masks in Chhattisgarh.
As the deadly virus triggered panic in the society, people in Chhattisgarh, even in the remote regions of insurgency-hit Bastar, are hardly complaining about shortage of masks to shield them from the infection of the virus.
The tradition tribal knowledge of making cups and other utilities out of leaves has come in handy for the adivasis in remote pockets of Bastar in this period of crisis with the people beginning to prepare masks out of the leaves, now popularly called ‘bio-mask’ in the region.
Tribal women and men were currently seen moving wearing ‘bio-masks’ in villages in south Bastar districts of Narayanpur, Sukma and Bijapur.
“We have received reports of tribals in remote pockets of Bastar using masks made of leaves due to coronavirus outbreak. This clearly indicates that awareness has already been generated among the tribals in Bastar on the virus outbreak. It is a good development”, Bastar range inspector general of police P. Sunderraj told this newspaper on Thursday.
Mr Sunderraj, however, appeared worried over possible disruption of efforts by local administrations to protect the tribals in their regions from virus infection by Maoists, who earlier this week ambushed a search party of security personnel in south Bastar district of Sukma killing 17 jawans.
The urbanites in Chhattisgarh were also seen making up with the acute shortage of medical masks by using handkerchiefs and tissue papers to cover their mouth and noses.
“There is acute shortage of medical masks in the market. They are selling at highly inflated price of `150 per piece against the actual price of Rs five. Hence, people have no option but to use hankies and tissue papers as masks when they venture outside”, tax consultant of Raipur, Ajey Dewta told this newspaper.
Meanwhile, some enterprising businessmen in Raipur have started placing orders with the local tailors to make designer masks to attract particularly the women customers, leading masks to appear in various colours and shapes such as stars and ribbons.