One’s wealth is inherited while riches are earned according to a seasoned speaker on various aspects of our society. Taking a leaf out of his perception of the subtle difference between wealthy persons and the rich, one is prompted to remark that vast knowledge relating to healthy life without using or depending on modern medicines, given their well-marked side-effects, is inherited  and the current all-too-ubiquitous lifestyle at the root of most, if not all, afflictions, both physical and mental, is our own doing. Monuments, shrines built by our ancestors, trees that have stood for several decades, some of them dating back to more than two centuries, fortresses built by past rulers as a security against invading forces, edicts that enlighten modern generations about events of a distant past and so on have dominated the list of heritages drawn by chroniclers and archaeologists, totally side-lining the aforementioned  cornucopia of knowledge relating to healthy living attributed to the land’s ancient generations, truly hidden heritage.

People at large are being made aware of the hazard they are bringing upon themselves by ignoring the avoidable causes and proven simple remedies for many diseases bugging the population, particularly its ignorant mass across the country, both in villages and cities. It is incongruous that in spite of the reportedly rising literacy in the country, people are still falling prey to quacks practicing the different systems of medicine, notably allopathy. The reported cases, such as the recent one in H.D. Kote is just a tip of the iceberg.

The popularity and proliferation of unsheltered canteens such as the mobile eateries on footpaths in all cities, including Mysuru, have blinded their patrons about the obvious connect between health and food prepared in sanitary conditions. The factors of (a) economics, (b) ease of availability, (c) taste appeal, (d) hassle-free catering and so on have scored high for this fast expanding enterprise with reasonably attractive income to thousands of youth, unable to find jobs. The unprecedented rate of the emergence of entrepreneurs in the  catering business, qualifies itself to be described as heritage of the future as it were, if one can the liberty of coining an oxymoron.

In this era of fast life and fast foods, the stock of expressions in virtually every language of the land cautioning against consuming foods that are clearly known to be health-threatening, have gone into hiding as it were. The expression “Eat to live, don’t live to eat” appears to have been treated as a joke in common parlance. The conventional components of heritage, acceptedly create a sense of pride in the nation’s people, but the hidden heritage of knowledge on healthy living is sure to be more rewarding.