BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, May 21, 2003: A recent health camp, held for sevayats (staff) and their families, revealed that most of the sevayats of Puri’s Jagannath temple suffer from neurological ailments. Of over 300 sevayats examined, 70 percent had neurological problems that came from frequent climbing of temple stairs and carrying temple food pots on their shoulders. They also suffered from cardiac and skin ailments, which were linked to their food habits, managing director of Kalinga Hospital S. Ramesh Babu said. Senior neurologist Dr. A.K. Mohapatra said the sevayats’ lifestyle meant excessive physical strain and that had affected their nervous system, while addiction to bhang (marijuana) accelerated the damage to the systems. “Sevayats start very young — often in their teens. They do not get adequate time to develop their internal system for the continuous physical exercises,” Mohapatra said.
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