About the custom of using Lemon and chillies in personal transport - Science or Superstition?
A social worker met me a few days ago in the context of some news bytes (Im a journalist), when we saw a car with the lemon and chillies tied to its bumper; he shot a sarcastic comment at me - "What an ancient religious superstition this is - see those Lemon + chillies?"
Without much annoyance, I elaborated on the importance of this practice and the gave an understanding of its usage to him, "Friend, this practice of using the totem of lemon and chillies, which you believe is a superstition, wasnt a superstition at all and one could say that it was a prathomopachara (First Aid) for the traveller.
For transport, in those days the people used bullock carts or simply walked miles on foot , though today traveling by car is the common practice, and hence the significance.
Since many many miles of the journey had to be traversed by bullock cart, the lemon, chillies and bibwa were pierced together with a sharp needle like wire and thus held together. were suspended in a prominent part of the bullock cart so that immediately on need, the rider would notice and access them.
Not only that, in those times it could also be found hanging outside every house so that passers-by could get it immediately, if need be. But why so? This question is surely bothering you I imagine.
The answer is that after covering a journey of a few miles, in case the traveller ran out of water, then the man would be faint out of lack of fluids. In this case, to produce saliva in the mouth, the lemon was squeezed inside the mouth - which acted as a temporary antidote for thirst, and the man thus refreshed could still go on for a while.
Next, snakes, small and large being around was very common, and so snake bites, were not uncommon either. In case of snakebite, to immediately determine whether the snake was poisonous or not, the Chilli was used as a science.
You made the affected person eat a chili - after a snake bite if the person finds the chilli as pungent as it is, then it was inferred the snake was not poisonous and if it was not found to be spicy, then the snake was poisonous (poison numbs the nerves of the tongue making one lose the sense of taste).
The third part was the "bibwa" fruit (now replaced meaninglessly with a piece of charcoal). If there was any external injury while walking, then that bibwa was considered as the best antibiotic for the injury. The metal needle used for the lemon- chilli totem was useful as well. If the traveller on foot was caused injury by a thorn, then that wire could be used to eke out the thorn deep in the flesh.
First aid on the oxen cart along the way during travel or being put in front of the house was thus the original utility of this totem.
As time went by, carts were relaced by cars and this mobile First Aid kit became a tradition, rather a superstition.
This contraption is being sold commonly, sometimes even made of plastic and seems to have really become a big business for the vendor.
It is possible to spread this information to show how this was not a superstition of religion to "ward off the evil eye" and the practice of that time was rather scientific in nature, as opposed to today's blind faith.
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