Category: Indigenous Traditional Knowledge
Neem: Azadirachta Indica
The neem tree is a natural gift for human kinds in India. From time immemorial, this tree has been contributing its sole in real sense to become readily available for multiple uses of each and every person in the villages and urban areas. During morning hours- the twigs are used every day by everyone for cleaning the teeth; the petioles of leaves are used as tooth prick after meals; leaves are used as protectant for skin diseases; fruits are eaten during summer/ spring, when it ripens, by the individual being its delicious nature; seed kernels are used to extract oil content for different medicinal purposes; tender leaves, when it is brown in colour, are eaten for maintaining blood sugar, blood pressure, etc.
Apart from above direct uses, it is also helpful indirectly in providing shelters to human being during summer nights for sleeping under the shade of tree and protects from sun during day hours due to its wider canopy. Respiratory system gets purified by removal of carbon dioxide from the environment and useful during inhalation of air. It reduces the cost of electricity (power on the one side and provides fresh & pure air on the other side for economically weaker sections of village communities with sound sleep during day and night in summer.
In India, every house has a Neem tree essentially in front of house/ surrounding house for this purpose. It grows very fast and lives longer life. It’s root goes deep and support the tree on the land. Farmers, in villages, use its dried leaves as organic manures in their crop fields after its decomposition. It protects seeds from soil, seed and air borne plant diseases as well as other crop pests. This is available to farming communities free of cost at their door. From the seed sowing to crop harvest this tree is highly useful in managing various crop pests and enhances crop yields and production. The neem tree can be grown on any land/ soil type and pH level acidic/ or alkaline soil. It is drought resistant and tolerant to heat and frost.
The Neem tree is, therefore, liked by human beings as a natural gift for maintaining human life, ecological balance and in increasing agricultural production. It is all because of availability of Indigenous Technical knowledge/ Traditional knowledge of multiple uses of Neem tree received from our ancestors/ progeny as treasure.
Therefore, the knowledge and skills about Neem tree acquired by family from one generation to another is multiplied and propagated for the sustainable development of the society. The Family Script plays an important role in dissemination of such knowledge and skills to mass and individual significantly.
@Kshitij Sinha Great story .. something to cherish lifelong .. definitely worth a share !!