MUMBAI: MAHARASHTRA

Herbal Patrol

By Natasha Israni

Dusk brings with it a certain sense of tranquillity. It is a time when all activity ceases and the day comes to a halt. At the Santa Cruz (W) police station, however, sundown brings its own tumult. Vehicular traffic at the crossing where the chowki stands is at a peak, as is carbon monoxide content in the air. And there is the constant shuffle of feet entering and leaving the police station; there are firs to be filed, upset nerves to be soothed, noisy quarrels to be settled, suspects to be questioned. For the policemen there, it's 18 hours of work at a stretch. It couldn't get more stressful than that. And Sheikh Alauddin knows it.

A black leather bag slung over his shoulders, this pyjama-clad 80-year-old, his hair russet with henna, could be the native Father Time. But he is no cross-cultural icon, just a man on a mission. It's an unusual crusade: to fight stubborn ulcers, persistent migraines, appetite loss, even infertility. It's also a path that the grand old man, originally from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, has traversed for more than 40 years since he learnt the science of ayurveda from a blind hakim at Pai Dhuni in Mumbai.

Alauddin could have practised comfortably at his Bandra kholi, but he took to dispensing ayurvedic advice and medicines at police stations across the length and breadth of Mumbai. From the RCF (Rashtriya Chemical Fertilisers) chowki in Chembur to stations in distant suburbs like Ghatkopar, Mulund or Borivali, Chacha, as he is better known, is a familiar face, greeted with warm smiles and invariably offered a comfortable corner to sip his tea and to unload his bag of cures.

Policemen's health as a career may seem curious but Alauddin has a reason. "I learnt ayurveda for four years in my spare time while I was selling agarbattis for a living," he says. "When I finally started practising, I happened to visit a police station. I saw the overworked policemen. Inspectors, sub-inspectors, constables always have some medical complaint or the other, especially stomach ailments. And since police lines are usually near the chowkis, I can go and visit their families too."

This seems to make sound business sense but the patients who have seen Alauddin's many, sometimes even miraculous cures, have another tale to recount. He's known to be generous to a fault. The financial aspects of his business are almost secondary to service. Says S.P. Pandit, senior inspector at the Santa Cruz (W) chowki as he shows off his bulging biceps which he credits to Mazunakbar, a general health medicine given to him by Alauddin: "Chacha could live comfortably without all this travelling. His sons in the Gulf send him money and he's got a dhobi service. But it isn't money that's driving him. Healing is his obsession."

Pandit is close to the truth. The pride on Chacha's face is apparent as he jogs his memory for landmarks in his track record, which include solving a senior inspector's heart problem and curing another policeman's 15-year-old asthma. "I never got myself registered officially as an ayurvedic doctor but a mainstream doctor once called me to find out how I had managed to cure his patient's tumour," says Alauddin, emptying his pockets to display more than 50 visiting cards of patients, mostly policemen, but also advocates and lawyers.

Interestingly, Alauddin can only read, not write. But that's never been an obstacle. When a patient comes to him, he doesn't ask many questions. Neither does he recommend elaborate tests. For Alauddin, what's important is to correctly determine the imbalance among the five humours of the body according to the tenets of ayurveda.

But how accurate are his diagnosis and treatment? Is he just a quack with a conscience? Surely, there must have been instances in his career when he received complaints from disgruntled patients about his handpicked herbs and concoctions? "Sometimes the medicines don't work," he admits with good humour, "but if it was a serious complaint, don't you think the patient would have put me behind bars?" The words reveal a sense of confidence. A confidence that comes from having a healing touch.