PATNA: For an octogenarian man from Jharkhand, eating sand is an integral part of his daily routine, Gulf News reported.
Ram Ikbal Choube, a resident of Rajdaha village in Pakur district, has taken up the bizarre habit of eating sand for the past about 40 years.
Choube, a retired government servant, claims to consume around 500 grams of sands per day alongside his regular food intake to keep himself fit and healthy.
According to him, while he was still working, he suffered from severe stomach upset which lasted for many days.
Medicines just failed to help him and he went into depression.
“One day, I rushed to the bank of a local river, picked up a handful of sand and consumed it out of extreme frustration. And it worked wonders! I soon experienced relief and in the next few days, I found my problem of upset stomach gone over,” Choube told the local media with a smile on his face.
“Since then I have been continuously eating sand. It doesn’t taste good but it has kept me fit all these years,” he remarked.
Choube, who retired from government service with the Public Works Department in December 1993, says that if a day passes when he does not consume sand, he faces loose motion.
Reports said that his family members initially warned him against eating sand, saying this could cause various health complications. But gradually, they stopped their objections when their advice fell on deaf ears.
“Initially, we would wonder at his habit but now it has become part of his daily diet. He feels restless without sand,” one of his sons, Harishankar Choube said.
His son said that in the beginning, his father himself would bring sand from the local river but now that he has grown old and can’t walk for long, they have to arrange for it.
Medical experts are also amazed at his sand-eating habit.
“It is rare that a man eating sand for a long time doesn’t experience any health complication but this case is really a miracle for me,” a senior government health official, Dr B Marandi said.