Government food supplies are inadequate and have almost stopped coming, the refugees lament. And at a time when there is nothing to eat, our problems are compounded by the fact that most of our fellow refugees are suffering from a number of diseases. And when there is nothing to eat, money for buying medicines is definitely beyond our reach. People here are dying almost every day with no medical care at all. As if to prove their point, they claim that a few days ago about 20 tribals started behaving abnormally after eating some wild potatoes for supper.
People here eat almost anything for survival.
Since we don't have too many choices, we are forced to eat the kind of things which will make people living elsewhere throw up at the very sight of it. The government claims that financial constraints are hampering relief supplies. The young bride's impoverished family has almost nothing to offer as a wedding feast to the groom, from the adjoining Simorgaon tribal refugee camp, and his family. Today, most of these refugees are surviving on wild potatoes, roots, herbs and just about any edible thing they can lay their hands on. We just gave them a cup of red tea and a few grains of puffed rice.