Goodbye sloth, hello freshness!

The adage has it that the pouring rains bring forth a horde of health problems along with their rhythmic beats. As the Karkadakam, the lean month of the Malayalam calendar, sets in Kerala, amidst the heavy monsoon showers, Kalari centres have become active with the traditional treatment—‘Karkadaka Chikitsa’—to rejuvenate the human body.

From time immemorial, the people used to undergo this special rejuvenation therapy between mid-June and mid-August. According to traditional Kalari experts, the rainy season is the ideal period to cleanse the body, and to expel the toxins.

Somehow, this indigenous therapy got sidelined with the revolution in modern medicine which offered instant relief from diseases. The traditional method was practiced only in the households of Kalari experts and those who learn the martial art. Even successive governments treated it as a tool to promote the tourism sector. Consequently, the treatment became a luxury for the common man, as spa and massage centres sprouted all over the state.

“These days, the human body is hardly in tune with nature due to the busy and mechanical lifestyle,” says S K Rajesh Gurukkal of Bhargava Kalari Sanghom in Kottooli in Kozhikode. “Environmental pollution, and the intake of excessive fats through fish and meat products, clubbed with the consumption of alcohol, drugs and tobacco, lead to the accumulation of toxins, making the body vulnerable to diseases. Stress, lack of exercise and indiscriminate use of painkillers accelerate the chances of getting diseases.”

The toxins are flushed out through processes determined by the ‘Gurukkal’—the master of the Kalari—according to the ‘Prakriti’ (constitution) of the patient. ‘Darsana Sparsana Prasne’—detecting the problems by sight, touch and questioning—is the methodology adopted by the masters to detect the problems in the body, and to determine the type of treatment to be given.

“By watching the sitting or the standing posture of a person, we can understand which part of his body is weak,” says Rajesh. “While sitting, one may, unknowingly, put his hand under the cheek for a support. The person will not be aware, as it is purely due to a command given by the unconscious mind. This indicates a problem in his neck. And the reason may be very simple —a swelling in the neck due to a muscular spasm which causes accumulation of watery fluids in a particular area. Over the years, it will become thick and affect the blood circulation leading to fatal consequences. The only solution is to unfreeze this clot through exercise and massage.”

Every person who comes for treatment has to do certain exercises. After its completion, the master determines the mode of treatment, its duration and the dietary restrictions. The treatment involves Panchakarma, Uzhichil, steam bath, oil massage and Ayurvedic medicines.

“Usually, the treatment is carried out between 5 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. After that the person can go for work. But he or she should avoid non-vegetarian food, consumption of alcohol, smoking and sex,” says Rajesh.

As of now, over 80 Kalari centres exist in Kozhikode district itself offering various modes of ‘Karkadaka Chikitsa’. Besides, Kalari centres are also active in Kannur and Malappuram districts. “There is a 30 per cent increase in the number of youngsters arriving for treatment,” says Sudhakaran Gurukkal of C V N Kalari, Edakkad in Kozhikode. “It is the most encouraging trend this season.”

This indicates the re-emergence of ‘Karkadaka Chikitsa’, especially in the Kalaris of the Malabar region. And the customers are satisfied.

“I have lost six kg after the five-day therapy,” says a business executive, who is undergoing the traditional treatment at the Bhargava Kalari Centre.

(The New Indian Express, Sunday Magazine, 2011)