Question

Few children in your village have complained of swollen necks. More and more children have complained about swollen necks every month. A villager, Hari Singh is superstitious and he thinks that the village is cursed by a ‘devil’. Shyam, another villager, who thinks it as a disease which needs consultation with a doctor.

(a) Do you agree with Hari Singh? 

(b) What can be the reason behind swollen necks of the young children in the village? How can the problem be overcome? 

(c) What social change is required in the village to make it free form blind faith? 

(d) What values are shown by Shyam?

Answer 1

(a) No. Since the case of swollen neck is slowly spreading every month, it seems more likely to be a disease and not any curse. 

(b) The reason behind swollen necks of the young children in the village is swelling of the lymph nodes which occurs when there is some infection in the lymph nodes. The condition is called Lymphadenitis and it occurs when the child is suffering rom some respiratory infection or has cold. The problem can be overcome by giving the children antibiotics to fight the infection (if caused by bacteria) and medicines to reduce the swelling. 

(c) The villagers need to be educated to make them free from blind faith. They need to understand that they cannot have blind faith in anything that does not have evidence. Education is the only weapon that can make people free from believing in blind faith and superstitions. 

(d) Shyam portrays the image of a sensible man who seems to be educated and does not believes in anything that does not have evidence.