KOCHI: Standing without losing balance was almost an impossible dream for 30-year-old Shanoj M from Koduvally till he was admitted to Gurukkal’s Kalari Centre at Palayattunada near Vadakara. But, with a one-month-long traditional marma treatment, he started taking baby steps towards improvement, thanks to K V Muhammad Gurukkal, Additional Sub Inspector of Police, Special Branch, Kozhikode Rural, who provides traditional kalari treatment free of cost.
“I could not stand without losing balance even though I had a walking stick to hold on to,” Shanoj, an osteoporosis patient, says on how he reached Muhammad Gurukkal.
“After hours-long diagnosis in a major hospital in Kozhikode, the city doctors in the room mumbled that my condition was worse. They seemed hopeless and helpless about my recovery.
"But I was not ready to give up. It was one of my friends who suggested that I consult Muhammad Gurukkal and now I am sure that I have stepped on the path of recovery,” he says.
Ayisha Hasan, another patient, has come all the way from Wayanad, considering the centre as the last resort, when all the treatments failed to give her respite from cervical spondylosis.
Muhammad, who values satisfaction of his patients above all, always keeps a feedback diary on his table to collect opinions and suggestions from patients and their bystanders to improve his treatment.
“For many, martial arts like kalari may be something to defend or demonstrate before the audience, but I explore its potential to heal diseases,” he says.
Following in the footsteps of his father, an ardent lover of Kalaripayattu, Muhammad learnt kalari’s basics from Chandran Gurukkal. His undying love for kalari persuaded him to be a disciple of Thikkodi Haji Gurukkal, Moosa Gurukkal and Karuppunni Marakkar. According to Muhammad, being a master of kalari treatment is not as easy as people think.
“It took several years for me to imbibe the differences in ‘kettu’ and ‘vadivu.’ At the kalari centre, he harmoniously blends kalari-marma and ayurveda treatments. Ayurveda doctors V T Sruthi, Ambili and Arya Mithra are at their service at the centre to check patients.
“I am really surprised to see the power of his traditional knowledge. We doctors have witnessed several patients looking dumbstruck when Muhammad Gurukkal diagnoses their disease without the help of an X-Ray or MRI scan,” says Sruthi. In Muhammad’s words, practising kalari is twice better than doing yoga.
Kalari refreshes one mentally and spiritually. In a kalari centre adjacent to the treatment centre, he offers training to as many as 15 students, including girls, without charging any fee. During the police training period, he was active in imparting kalari steps to companions.
“I am that much passionate about Kalaripayattu and I am still learning its scope in day-to-day life,” says Muhammad. He promises 80 per cent relief to all kinds of diseases through kalari-marma treatment. Apart from this, he provides water beds and other essential materials for financially struggling patients.
His superior officers are happy about his charity works. “In today’s sophisticated world, his service is highly commendable,” says Kozhikode Rural Superintendent of Police P H Ashraf. Incidentally, Muhammad has received the chief minister’s police medal.