The Village Woman Whose Age Refuses to Slow Her Down
In Midhka village near Lavkush Nagar in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district lives Kasturi Rajput, a woman at an age when most people look for rest. Having crossed 70, Kasturi is still on her feet from morning till evening, working among her fields and her animals — and doing it all alone, without anyone's help. Whether it is rearing livestock or tilling the land, she handles every task herself.
Hard Work Has Defined Her Since Childhood
Speaking to Local 18, Kasturi said her entire life has unfolded in this small village. She grew up here and was married here too. In her day there was no culture of schooling, so she started lending a hand with work from childhood itself. From farming to caring for cattle, she has done every kind of village labour over the years.
Her Day Begins at 5 in the Morning
Even at this age, her daily routine could put a younger person to shame. Kasturi says she wakes up at 5 am every day and heads to the village river for a bath. After that, she draws water from the boring along with her daughter-in-law. Once she has eaten at home — or packed a light snack, what she calls kalyaba — she sets off towards the fields and forest to graze her goats. She spends the entire day in the forest and the harsh sun tending to them, returning home only in the evening.
She Does Every Farming Task Herself
Kasturi manages nearly every job connected with farming. She used to plough and sow the fields with her own hands as well, though that work is now done by tractor. But when it comes to harvesting, she still needs no one — she cuts her own crop and goes on to harvest other people's crops too. On top of that, at 70 she not only grazes goats but also takes on others' land for cultivation on a sharecropping basis. Her view is plain: if she ever gave up hard work and sat at home, she would fall ill. That is exactly why she keeps going.
Traditional Country Food Is Her Real Strength
She attributes her good health to her old, traditional diet. Kasturi says that while she generally eats ordinary meals like everyone else, a few age-old items still have a place on her plate. In the summer she gathers and stores mahua, then prepares mahua ki dubri from it, along with mahua ka murka. Through the summer months her breakfast includes ber ka birchun, which according to her strengthens the digestive system while also cooling the body.
Her everyday meals still feature milk and ghee alongside roti-sabzi and bhaji-dal. Kasturi admits there isn't as much milk at home as there once was, yet she still manages to have half a kilo to a kilo of milk in a single sitting, with ghee as well.
She Says She Has Never Even Caught a Cold
Despite being past 70, Kasturi claims she has never been seriously ill. She insists she has never so much as suffered a cold or cough. Now and then, sheer exhaustion from work brings on a fever, but even that she cures by getting medicine from the village vaidya. The need to visit a city hospital has never once arisen. The one mark of age she does admit to is that a few of her teeth have broken.
