[Podcast] Rethinking ‘Keraleeyatha’: Mapping Indigenous Medicine

Today, ‘brand Ayurveda’ is synonymous with Kerala, but how did it emerge? In this episode, we speak with K.P. Girija about the modernisation of the indigenous systems of medicine in Kerala. Her recently published book Mapping the History of Ayurveda: Culture, Hegemony, and the Rhetoric of Diversity examined the history of institutionalisation of Ayurveda in the 20th century, and the complex process associated with it.

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Artwork: Nidhin Shobhana.

This is the third episode in Season 2 of Ala’s podcast series, focusing on the idea of modernity and Kerala. View all episodes here.

We Discuss:

  • 00:01:15 – The range of disparate practices that lay claim to authenticity through the Ayurveda tag.
  • 00:06:30 – Processes of exclusion inherent in the process of modernisation of indigenous health practices, understanding the multi-pronged flow of
    indigenous knowledges.
  • 00:21:00 – Addressing the liminal space
    between established and marginalised practices, methods and sources, and locations.
  • 00:21:00 – Locating evidence of non-literate traditions, delving into alternative texts, multilingual sources.
  • 00:26:30 – The rationale behind retaining vernacular terms; insufficiency of ‘indigeneous’ as a term.
  • 00:29:55 – Ways in which print culture at the time shaped practices, beginnings of modernization, the association of literacy and text-based knowledge with superiority.
  • 00:35:55 – How through tourism, marginal practices like massage became more central.
  • 00:39:30 – How the government recognises ‘experts’.
  • 00:40:30 – How certain sub-disciplines claimed certain geographical provenance over time, with unani being the exception.

About the Guests: K P Girija is an independent researcher based out of Kerala, who finished her PhD from the Centre for the Study of Culture and Society [CSCS], Bangalore. She was a fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla, during 2017-19, and a grantee of the KCHR in 2019-20. She has edited and translated the personal notes of Mandakini Narayanan, published by Women’s Imprint and Current Books as ‘Marikkatha Thaalukal: Memoirs of Mandakini Narayanan’ (2007/2013). Currently, she is working on a manuscript that addresses knowledge formation and its relation with the subjects in Ayurveda through a reading of the life narratives of Ayurveda practitioners.

Interview: Sreedevi D
Production: Shilpa Parthan / S. Harikrishnan
Artwork: Nidhin Shobhana


Related Articles on Ala:

  • Shruti Tharayil discovers how her familial practices during the month of Karkkidakam are intertwined with cuisine, climate, and local ecosystems.
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