Doodh-roti and laughter are the secret for centenarians in this village of MP

Lucknow: Laughing is not only good for health but also for a long life. In today's age, we believe technology and human-made products can give us a longer life and hence, we put happiness and laughter on the back seat.

It does nothing but makes us more dependent on machines.

But, do you know there is a place in India where people eat 'doodh-roti' (Milk-Bread) with endless laughter to make them live for more than 100 years.

There is a small forest named Hamlet in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh where at least seven centenarians live, out of which five have crossed 100 years mark.

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One of them is Shankar Singh. When he was asked about his age, he gave a glittering look and said, "Ek sau do (102).” He even calculated and clarified his age through mathematics saying, “I was 31 at Independence and voted in the very first election. I’m sure the next one won’t be the last.”

Shankar is not the only centenarian in the village and certainly not the oldest.

How did they live for more than 100 years and what do they eat?

"Plain dal-roti or Doodh-roti, this is all they ever have," says Jeetendra, grandson of 102-year-old Kanchan Bai.

Another one of them, 107-year-old Hamir Singh shared the secret of his living.

As he toured his fields (on sturdy legs and a stout stick), sipped chai, had his daily gupshup with friends… and went back to his wife, Paari Bai — a sprightly 102. Husband and wife then sat on their porch and discussed how their day went.

“When I get tired of sitting, I go around the village, talk with my friends and come back,” says Paari. And how is it like to be married for nearly a hundred years? “Don’t count,” laughs Hamir. Haven’t they ever quarreled?

“No,” they say, together. “When one of us says something hurtful, the other just walks away. We don’t react. After a while, it’s forgotten.”

The Dhinga Khedi village is surrounded by lush-green mountains and forests. There are limited means of communication and entertainment. And everyone in the village knows one another. Only few of them have cell phones.

Dhinga Khaidi is in the heart of a centenarian zone of roughly 100 sq km between Tarana in Ujjain and Ichhawar in Sehore. This region is home to the largest number of centenarians in Madhya Pradesh.

It is to be mentioned that MP has 4,117 centenarian voters. This belt is only 0.03% of MP’s land mass (308,252 sq km) but is home to over 12% of the centenarians.