Friday, July 29, 2011

A story of mind, medicine and magic.




Bashaposhini is one of the oldest Malayalam literary review magazines . In the month of June Bashaposhini magazine showcase the curative experience of three different doctors .They are Dr.Punanjital Kunjabudalla,Dr. Dr.Achapilla Joseph And Dr. Kraveendran . In The first article Dr. Punanathil Kunjabudalla featured his therapeutic experience. But the last two articles are the couple interviews of Dr.Achapilla Joseph with Mr.V.K Sri Raman and Dr. Ravindreen, interviewed by Ms.Asha Thomas.
Ms. thomas begun her writing with a gentle and poeatic preface On Dr.Raveendren however she addressed him as an adivassi vidyan the way Dr.Raveendran addressed by Ms. Thomas suggest the sense of discrimination She addressed him as adivassi vidyan . Vidyan is the malayalam meaning of English word doctor . I absolutely agree with it but the tearm adivassi is erroneous moreover, it reflects the sense of marginalization. Dr.Raveendran is a Cancer specialist. The perception of this nifty doctor on medicine and his curative practice is vivid and rational. Moreover the so called modern people also approach this doctor for the better treatment. It says the ingenious medicine also relevant in Post modern world


It is interesting to read the article which written by Dr.Punithil Kunjabudalla .this article is depict the transformative journey between the indigenous medical practice to various modern healing practice in kerala .Even though, he is a modern medical Practitioner his objective or the crux of this article is all the curative practice engender from raw medicine
Dr.Punjathil kunjabdulla is one of the a renewed writers in contemporary Malayalam literature. And ,this article narrates his curative experience through creative language. The native place of Dr. Kunjabudalla is Vadakara .It is one of the small villages in the northern belt of Kerala .In this article Dr.Kujabudalla portray a couple of doctors who practice ingenious medicine .Also he explain the launch of modern medicine in the small village like Vadakara . The history of therapy in vadakara he formulate from his house itself because , His great grandfather also was a doctor who used to make various ingenious medicine for Cataracts and Conjunctivitis .There was a plenty of consumers for his medicine both in Vadakara and Mysoor .Mysoor situates in Karnadaka which is one of the the adjacent states of Kerala. In order to sell those Surumas every month he was travelled to Karnadaka .
The place in between Vadakara and mysoor is forest and he use to travel by walk towards the destination place . On the way to Mysore he brutally attacked by a cruel jackal and he passed away in the forest itself .Dr. Kunjabudalla is proud to be one of the Offspring of This ingenious doctor. He also memorize such a way that the renowned American writer Ernest Hemingway‘s grandfather was also a dentist and the dental instruments which he was used been displayed in the Hemingway museum at Chicago. Here he gracefully associated himself and his grandfather with the history of Ernest Hemingway
Most of these ingenious healing practices in kerala goes with various religion , rituals ,and beliefs .Plenty of hard core black magic believers were there rather than medicine they prefer the magicians I would rather call them doctors however, Those so called councilor known as Mullas, muslialyans ,Aiyath ,Soors ,Laddan and Mullaka Their prescription of medicine include s chanted water, threads and hymn which written on a white Porcelain plates .They write various hymn in Urdu with the usage of natural ink made out from ink nut .They narrate the mystic text with kamalan it is a one kind of pen and ,it was made out of Bamboo stick . After completion of writing the plate divides into four pieces by using the horizontal and vertical line .He pore a little water in the edge of the plate and smack and scrap with figure .After smacking and scarping the plate that water offer to patient. This curative practice known as Ayethere. Usually the mullacka advise the patient to have either three or saven days of course of Aiyathee .Each day the mullacka used to meet patient in his or her house and make this magical drink .This mystical drink known as aiyathee kashayam .People get cured by those holy water and sanctified threads Here, Dr. Kunjabudallda amusingly narrate about a doctor who practice Sufism in his therapeutic practice .His name was mulla koya thankal. He was not regular to mosque, however he meditate three hours per a day .Dr. thangal had thousands of patients in his dispensary . He look after all patients inquisitively .His means of consultation is amusing because .Apart from medicine patient he also offered delicious food .Rather prescribe medicine He offer various beautiful gifts alike a perfume bottle , a smart piece of shirt ,pocket radio and many more .One day few people approach this doctor with a little deaf girl .Immediate after the preliminary consultation with the little girl .The doctor kept his finger in a glass of water and offered it her to drink . Soon after drunk the glass of water the verbal disability of the child absolutely fade away. The mystical therapeutic practices of the doctors in this article remember me to think about the different characters in the writings of the Latin American writer Gabriel García Márquez

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