“I must say that the kind of people I have met on the journey so far have been nothing short of magical, insane and serendipitous.” May Jacob is talking about her research on the last practitioners of Kerala’s ancient healing systems.
Joseph Vaidyar, who has a major following in Vallarpadom for healing burns, uses a secret recipe of herbs given to his father by a stranger. Unable to pay the boat fare, this nameless man gave him a lasting gift. Then there are the Namboothiris of Poonkudil Mana, who include dance and theatre in treatment; and Bhattathiripad of Suryakalady Mana who combines Ayurveda with astronomy.
Kochi/Kerala,08/08/19.Writer May Jacob during an interaction with The Hindu Metro Plus in Koch. Photo:H.Vibhu/The Hindu.
May hails from Changanassery, graduated in Commerce from Jesus and Mary College in New Delhi, and had a stint in theatre under veterans like Feizal Alkazi and Moloyshree Hashmi. She moved to England and earned a doctorate from the London School of Economics with a thesis on Migrant Women and Identity. Later, when working with the US government during higher education, May found that the government was using yoga to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in veterans. “In India, we have a wealth of traditional healing practices which we overlook,” she says.
Her research documents healing practices based on mythology, rituals, local herbs, natal charts, art and culture, diet and destination.
“I am documenting those that use rituals or anushtanam ,” says May, adding that, according to mythology, sage Parasurama ordained certain families with the right to practise manthravadam or faith healing.
The vaidyars of Poonkudil mana use dance and theatre to treat conditions of the mind. “In fact they sponsor an art festival and believe that psychological distress is caused by extreme stress and that experiencing the arts can undo the distress.” May terms the practitioners of Surya Kaladi Mana as iconic, because they are mentioned in Aihithihyamala, Kerala’s legendary book of stories. May met the practitioners of ‘devvyapashreya chikitsa’ (that uses a combination of sound through the chanting of mantras) and the position of stars and moon for healing.
Though these practices have a common origin and invoke the power of the female god, the absence of women practitioners is puzzling. Except for the women priests of Mannarassala and Parambikavu that deal with snakebites and cases of poison, there are no women vaidyars (healers). “Menstruation was misused as an argument of impurity,” she explains. At the MS Swaminathan Foundation in Wayanad where May learnt about the cultivation of medicinal herbs, she found that harvesting during the monsoon is forbidden as the potency of the medicines in the plants is diluted. Chitra nakshatram is apparently best suited for harvesting. “Such traditional knowledge will be lost if not documented,” says May.
