K. Kochukutty Vaidyan (b. circa 1901. d. 22 Nov 1979). Popularly known as “Kutty Vaidyan”, he founded SRV Ayurveda Medical Hall in the year 1929. Initially the medical practice was based at his house, Mukaladiyil in Thalavady village. Kutty Vaidyan later expanded the SRV establishment by opening clinics at Neerettupuram, Pulikeezhu and Kavumbhagom.
Early childhood
Born into a large family, the young Kutty was one among seven children. Kutty had one brother and five sisters. In early childhood Kutty was on the path to being denied a basic education or financial support from his father’s side (the Muttanishalil family), where his father’s nephews inherited all resources in line with the then prevailing matrilineal inheritance practices. It was young Kutty’s desire to study and his ambition was to become an Ayurvedic physician. However Kutty’s maternal uncles, on whom he depended on for financial support, were deadly against him pursuing studies or his ambition (see box below. Karma – The Story of Insult and Forgiveness).
Pursuit of his ambition
Against the odds and secretly attending night classes, without the knowledge of his maternal uncles, Kutty initially studied the Sanskrit language under his first guru, Wariyath Asan. Wariyath Asan was the senior-most learned member of the Wariyath Illam incorporating the riverside Wariyath temple in Thalavady village.
Early childhood
Born into a large family, the young Kutty was one among seven children. Kutty had one brother and five sisters. In early childhood Kutty was on the path to being denied a basic education or financial support from his father’s side (the Muttanishalil family), where his father’s nephews inherited all resources in line with the then prevailing matrilineal inheritance practices. It was young Kutty’s desire to study and his ambition was to become an Ayurvedic physician. However Kutty’s maternal uncles, on whom he depended on for financial support, were deadly against him pursuing studies or his ambition (see box below. Karma – The Story of Insult and Forgiveness).
Pursuit of his ambition
Against the odds and secretly attending night classes, without the knowledge of his maternal uncles, Kutty initially studied the Sanskrit language under his first guru, Wariyath Asan. Wariyath Asan was the senior-most learned member of the Wariyath Illam incorporating the riverside Wariyath temple in Thalavady village.
Being a pupil from the Ezhava community, in accordance with then social practices of untouchability and unapproachability, Kutty could not initially approach Wariyath Asan or speak to him at close quarters. It is said that when Wariyath Asan was initially familiarising his new pupils’ names, Kutty called out his name, but the guru misheard it as “Itty”. Until his death Wariyath Asan continued to address Kutty by the name “Itty”, which he humbly accepted as his guru’s privilege to mispronounce.
As the Sanskrit language was a basic requirement for continuing Ayurvedic studies, Kutty continued to study Sanskrit under his second guru Nanoo Asan of the Ganaka (astrologer) community. Later Kutty joined the Ayurveda School at Changankulangara to learn the basics of Ayurveda. After qualifying from Changankulangara, Kutty then house-trained in Ayurvedic practices under the guidance of Vadayikattu Kochuraman Vaidyan, a renowned Ayurvedic physician near Mavelikara.
After Kutty’s early marriage to his second cousin Lekshmikutty Amma, he enrolled at the Ayurveda College in Trivandrum for the Vaidya Sasthri and then for the Vaidya Kalanidhi courses, continuing to study, while Lekshmikutty Amma lived back at their home in Thalavady village. In those days the trip from Thalavady to Trivandrum was partly by foot and party by open-top bus from Kollam.
Visiting his home only once in several months, Kutty was even unable to see his first child, a girl that died soon after birth. It seems the child had passed away by the time the baby dresses he sent through someone was delivered from Trivandrum. Kutty studied under these family and social circumstances and successfully qualified to become licensed as an “A” Class Registered Medical Practitioner in the State of Travancore.
Personality and Professional Ethics
Kutty Vaidyan was a silently courageous soul living up to the highest ethical standards of his profession as a medical practitioner. An introvert by personality, he on very rare occasions ever lost his temper. An atypical volcanic outpouring occurred at times when his employees were found compromising on the quality of medicines in the manufacturing process. Any shortcut in the process was what Kutty Vaidyan least would tolerate within his otherwise timid personality. It was not an unusual sight, especially at the close of working hours, when Kutty Vaidyan distributed free medicinal oils to the few poor village folk who came to his clinic for the unaffordable.
As the Sanskrit language was a basic requirement for continuing Ayurvedic studies, Kutty continued to study Sanskrit under his second guru Nanoo Asan of the Ganaka (astrologer) community. Later Kutty joined the Ayurveda School at Changankulangara to learn the basics of Ayurveda. After qualifying from Changankulangara, Kutty then house-trained in Ayurvedic practices under the guidance of Vadayikattu Kochuraman Vaidyan, a renowned Ayurvedic physician near Mavelikara.
After Kutty’s early marriage to his second cousin Lekshmikutty Amma, he enrolled at the Ayurveda College in Trivandrum for the Vaidya Sasthri and then for the Vaidya Kalanidhi courses, continuing to study, while Lekshmikutty Amma lived back at their home in Thalavady village. In those days the trip from Thalavady to Trivandrum was partly by foot and party by open-top bus from Kollam.
Visiting his home only once in several months, Kutty was even unable to see his first child, a girl that died soon after birth. It seems the child had passed away by the time the baby dresses he sent through someone was delivered from Trivandrum. Kutty studied under these family and social circumstances and successfully qualified to become licensed as an “A” Class Registered Medical Practitioner in the State of Travancore.
Personality and Professional Ethics
Kutty Vaidyan was a silently courageous soul living up to the highest ethical standards of his profession as a medical practitioner. An introvert by personality, he on very rare occasions ever lost his temper. An atypical volcanic outpouring occurred at times when his employees were found compromising on the quality of medicines in the manufacturing process. Any shortcut in the process was what Kutty Vaidyan least would tolerate within his otherwise timid personality. It was not an unusual sight, especially at the close of working hours, when Kutty Vaidyan distributed free medicinal oils to the few poor village folk who came to his clinic for the unaffordable.
Vaidyan's ethics was greatly influenced by his spirituality that took root from the ancient Indian traditions and wisdom. In his early years, he was inspired by the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836 – 1886) the mystic and saint from 19th-century Bengal. Soon after qualifying as a medical practitioner, when Kutty Vaidyan commenced the practice of Ayurveda, he named his establishment Sree Rama Vilasom (SRV) Ayurveda Medical Hall as a tribute to Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. The portraits of his guiding spirits, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, and Sree Narayana Guru adorned the walls of his Vaidyasalas (clinics) and it was his daily routine that he started and ended the practice after prayers and seeking the invocation of those that he held in high esteem as his gurus.
Ardent follower of Sree Narayana Guru
Kutty Vaidyan was a practitioner of the lifestyle, values, and social philosophy expounded by his spiritual mentor, saint Sree Narayana Guru. For a few days in January each year, Kutty Vaidyan’s attire was different from his usual spotless white, starch-ironed, Khadi juba and dhoti, topped by a green-bordered white Khadi shawl on the left shoulder. It was a similar dress, but it wasn’t the usual spotless white colour; it used to be bright yellow for those few days of the Sivagiri pilgrimage. A couple of sets of his attire were dyed yellow in turmeric wash and starch-ironed for use during this pilgrimage travel. Although Vaidyan could well afford to have Khadi suits tailored using new yellow textile, he made it a point to have a pair of his old suits kept aside for turmeric washing. Kutty Vaidyan was inspired by his guiding soul Sree Narayana Guru’s words encouraging thrift and enterprise. Vaidyan accepted that it was unwise to waste money for a pair of dresses for use on a humble pilgrimage.
Kutty Vaidyan used to maintain a piggy bank on his desk in which he daily deposited a part of his income and occasionally donated the saving to the Sivagiri foundation established by Sree Narayana Guru.
Interests
Kutty Vaidayan’s day mostly commenced with his trip by foot to the paddy fields to monitor the farming that he took side by side with his profession. He was never reluctant to pedal the water-wheel (“chakram”) to control the water level in the paddy fields that he visited in the early hours of the morning.Kutty Vaidyan was a connoisseur of Kathakali dance and did not miss any of the major performances that took place in the Kuttanad region. He was mostly accompanied to Kathakali events by his two nephews, Kesavan and Muttar Sivaraman - himself an accomplished Majorset Kathakali artiste in the Kalamandalam troupe.
Besides Kathakali, Kutty Vaidayan was also fond of attending the performance of traditional art forms at temple festivities and he enjoyed fireworks too. His habits included the weakness and an occasional urge to snuff tobacco, which he more or less had control over and limited to once a day. Every evening he without fail listened to the Sanskrit news bulletin on All India Radio.
Friends and Social Standing
Kutty Vaidyan was revered as the personal physician and was treated like an own member of many families, irrespective of any social divide, in the Thalavady, Neerettupuram, Pulikeezh and Thirvalla areas.
He had a wealth of friends among his peers (other Ayurvedic physicians) and his bosom village friends who used to gather every day at his clinics mostly for socialising and small talk.
By a turn of social attitudes, in later days, Kutty Vaidyan turned out to be Wariyath Asan’s most favoured pupil and trusted personal physician. In his last days, the ailing Wariyath Asan wanted Kutty Vaidyan visiting him every morning and being on his bedside for as long as possible. Also Wariyath Asan’s son-in-law, Wariyath Saar (a school master) turned out to be Kutty Vaidyan’s bosom pal and closest friend; the twosome never greeted each other without a warm hug!
Karma - The Story of Insult and Forgiveness
During Kutty's youth and at the time when his father passed away, the family held the post funeral ceremonies (adiyanthram) and lunch. At this lunch Kochukutty came forward and served one of the dishes ‘morukari’ to his revered guru Nanoo Asan (who was his Sanskrit teacher). As Kutty’s maternal uncles were against him studying Sanskrit and Ayurveda, and in order to openly insult Kutty, one of his material uncles, Ramachen Chittapan, angrily came forward, kicked and broke the earthenware pot (‘morukari kalam’) in front of Nanoo Asan and other guests. While Kutty was hurt beyond words, he took the insult and injury without reacting.
Ironically, by a twist of fate, many years later, as a practicing physician Kochukutty Vaidyan was called upon to treat the ailing Ramachen Chittapen whose leg was infected and gangrened. It is said that Kochukutty Vaidyan without reluctance and in keeping with his professional commitment personally attended every day to Ramachen Chittapen, and using a needle extracted live worms from the same leg that Ramachen kicked the ‘morukari kalam’ during Kutty’s youth.
Sujit Sivanand
22 November 2005
Kutty Vaidyan was a practitioner of the lifestyle, values, and social philosophy expounded by his spiritual mentor, saint Sree Narayana Guru. For a few days in January each year, Kutty Vaidyan’s attire was different from his usual spotless white, starch-ironed, Khadi juba and dhoti, topped by a green-bordered white Khadi shawl on the left shoulder. It was a similar dress, but it wasn’t the usual spotless white colour; it used to be bright yellow for those few days of the Sivagiri pilgrimage. A couple of sets of his attire were dyed yellow in turmeric wash and starch-ironed for use during this pilgrimage travel. Although Vaidyan could well afford to have Khadi suits tailored using new yellow textile, he made it a point to have a pair of his old suits kept aside for turmeric washing. Kutty Vaidyan was inspired by his guiding soul Sree Narayana Guru’s words encouraging thrift and enterprise. Vaidyan accepted that it was unwise to waste money for a pair of dresses for use on a humble pilgrimage.
Kutty Vaidyan used to maintain a piggy bank on his desk in which he daily deposited a part of his income and occasionally donated the saving to the Sivagiri foundation established by Sree Narayana Guru.
Interests
Kutty Vaidayan’s day mostly commenced with his trip by foot to the paddy fields to monitor the farming that he took side by side with his profession. He was never reluctant to pedal the water-wheel (“chakram”) to control the water level in the paddy fields that he visited in the early hours of the morning.Kutty Vaidyan was a connoisseur of Kathakali dance and did not miss any of the major performances that took place in the Kuttanad region. He was mostly accompanied to Kathakali events by his two nephews, Kesavan and Muttar Sivaraman - himself an accomplished Majorset Kathakali artiste in the Kalamandalam troupe.
Besides Kathakali, Kutty Vaidayan was also fond of attending the performance of traditional art forms at temple festivities and he enjoyed fireworks too. His habits included the weakness and an occasional urge to snuff tobacco, which he more or less had control over and limited to once a day. Every evening he without fail listened to the Sanskrit news bulletin on All India Radio.
Friends and Social Standing
Kutty Vaidyan was revered as the personal physician and was treated like an own member of many families, irrespective of any social divide, in the Thalavady, Neerettupuram, Pulikeezh and Thirvalla areas.
He had a wealth of friends among his peers (other Ayurvedic physicians) and his bosom village friends who used to gather every day at his clinics mostly for socialising and small talk.
By a turn of social attitudes, in later days, Kutty Vaidyan turned out to be Wariyath Asan’s most favoured pupil and trusted personal physician. In his last days, the ailing Wariyath Asan wanted Kutty Vaidyan visiting him every morning and being on his bedside for as long as possible. Also Wariyath Asan’s son-in-law, Wariyath Saar (a school master) turned out to be Kutty Vaidyan’s bosom pal and closest friend; the twosome never greeted each other without a warm hug!
Karma - The Story of Insult and Forgiveness
During Kutty's youth and at the time when his father passed away, the family held the post funeral ceremonies (adiyanthram) and lunch. At this lunch Kochukutty came forward and served one of the dishes ‘morukari’ to his revered guru Nanoo Asan (who was his Sanskrit teacher). As Kutty’s maternal uncles were against him studying Sanskrit and Ayurveda, and in order to openly insult Kutty, one of his material uncles, Ramachen Chittapan, angrily came forward, kicked and broke the earthenware pot (‘morukari kalam’) in front of Nanoo Asan and other guests. While Kutty was hurt beyond words, he took the insult and injury without reacting.
Ironically, by a twist of fate, many years later, as a practicing physician Kochukutty Vaidyan was called upon to treat the ailing Ramachen Chittapen whose leg was infected and gangrened. It is said that Kochukutty Vaidyan without reluctance and in keeping with his professional commitment personally attended every day to Ramachen Chittapen, and using a needle extracted live worms from the same leg that Ramachen kicked the ‘morukari kalam’ during Kutty’s youth.
Sujit Sivanand
22 November 2005
Compiled from own recollections and stories as narrated by Rajamma Sivanand
