Interpreter of Surti Maladies

INTERPRETER OF SURTI MALADIES


Now covered under the umbrella of health insurance policies, ancient medicinal recipes of Ayurveda and Unani no longer remain crushed and confined between pestles and mortars.

Known to be an extremely effective alternate option to allopathy, for treatment of chronic illnesses such as spondylitis, arthritis and epilepsy, along with other physical grievances big and small, these naturally derived cures claim to have no harmful side effects.

While Ayurveda is native to India, the term Unani (pronounced Yunani) is the Arabic spelling of Ionian, the islands of Greece.

A study by Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Traditional Medicine, Portland, Oregon, traces how ‘Unani owes its origin to the Greek physician Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.) Based on the original Greek concept of balancing the four body humors and resulting Unani systems involve the four elements: earth, air, water, and fire; along with four natures: cold, hot, wet, and dry; and four humors: blood (which is hot/wet), phlegm (cold/wet), yellow bile (hot/dry) and black bile (cold/dry).’

The Unani system is known as Hikmat or Unani-Tibb. Its medical practitioners are called Hakims. Here is the story of how a pioneer Hakeem of Surat went on to establish its ‘most effective pharmacy’ –Hakeem Chi Chi:

Once upon a time, there lived in Surat, a talented locksmith. Offering his services door to door, within the old walled city, he went about repairing and replicating keys, for a hard earned living. This gentleman named Sheikh Mohammad, was once asked to make a key for the ‘tijori’ (safe) of the then Nawab of Sachin .While on the job there, he chanced to meet a Hakeem from Junagadh who was on visit at the palace ,for ‘ilaaj’ (treatment) of an ailment that troubled the Nawab.

Sheikh Mohammad’s knowledge of ‘jadi booti’ (medicinal herbs) surprised the Hakeem who then offered to train him with a course in the medicinal field, at Junagadh.Since the Surti key maker was too poor to afford the travel fare to Junagadh, he set out on foot towards it, letting his profession as a key maker pay for his journey, as he trudged from one town to another, before finally reaching his destination, that opened doors to a new world.

He returned to Tapi town as Hakeem Sheikh Mohammed and set up a desi dawa khana (clinic) at Ranitalao. His knowledge teamed with knack benefited patients immensely and he quickly gained popularity as well as publicity by word of mouth. He had a nasal voice which squeaked a bit due to which, locals lovingly nicknamed him ‘Hakeem Chi Chi’, the clinic and name continued, ever since. His son educated at the Aligarh University for a degree in Unani; his grand son was appointed advisor at the Kasturba Memorial Trust.

The legend lives on, functioning in full form with hundreds of naturally derived in-house products. Since 79 years, the pharmacy has stood firm ground as the shop around the corner of Chakkapir street, at Rani Talao.“ We have been at this very place since 1932.We do not and will not have any other branches because we want to maintain the quality set up by our forefathers. We also cater to NRI customers via their relatives who reside in Surat and around the surrounding villages here. Our original surname was Navsariwala; our profession provided the present last name”, says Mohammad Qasim Hakeem, who represents the fifth generation of the lineage.

His father, Abdul. Hakim .Hakeem sits on the loft above, reading the trembling nerves of patients who have lined up to be cured. It is here that ageing men, pregnant women, insomniac professionals and colic children come for cures that are derived from exotic botanical ingredients such as Licorice roots, Peppermint, Malabar nuts, Rhubarb and other such herbs, sourced from all around India. Downstairs, a troop of educated young staff , hands out prescribed cures for allergies, asthma, eczema and caters to other demands such as beauty products, naturally extracted sherbets, top quality khajoor (red dates) etc.

Within the heart of city, one can catch the whiff of fresh gulabjal, sukhadd, amla, jojoba along with henna and sesame amongst other aromas from this treasure trove that is the sum of ancient herbal wisdom, which thrives and throbs steadily along with the pulse of Surat city.