THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is almost a decade now since Fathima convinced her husband Abdulla to make traditional medicines for her Kudumbasree-backed business venture. “But, even toady he is not happy that we are making money out of the traditional knowledge bequeathed from his ancestors,” says Fathima who has put up alternative medicines for sale at the Kudumbasree pavilion of the on-going Santhigiri Fest. The home-maker from Kanhangad in Kasargode district is a self-made entrepreneur. Nothing about this enthusiastic woman would tell you about the odds that drove her into mustering the courage to start a business. Born in a conservative family, Fathima never went to school. Her husband Abdulla, who was born in a family of traditional kalari physicians, had opened a watch repair shop when the medicines fell out of vogue. But, with the influx of mobile phones and cheaper Chinese watches, old watches were no longer brought for mending. When the family found it difficult to make ends meet, it was Fathima who came up with the idea of reviving the old family practice. “Ever since my marriage, I have been witnessing the healing effect of the treatments done by my husband’s family members. If someone in our locality suffered a fracture or sprain, they would immediately come to our house for treatment. My father-in-law would apply some oils and balms that he made on his own and it cured the ailment almost always. My husband would only do the practise if someone needed immediate care. He knew all the practices but was not willing to accept money for helping people,” she remembers. “Though I was able to coax him into preparing medicines and external applications, it was Kudumbasree that helped me market them. I started touring Kudumbasree fairs and other festivals around the state selling them. But to this day, he has not stopped rueing about how I have reduced the traditional practice into a business,” she laughs. The business caught up and it became a fill-time occupation that fetched Fathima enough money to send her two sons to good educational institutions. Among the medicines she sells under the brand name ‘Shifa’, those for back and joint pain are the ones that move the fastest. “Surprisingly, the customers are not aged people, like it used to be in the earlier years. The major chunk of customers are youngsters in the age group of 30-40. Most of them are working men and women who also drive two-wheelers,” she says. This is the fifth time that Fathima is in the city to take part in fairs under the banner of Kudumbasree. Her medicines can be bought from the Gramasree shop in the city and are also available in Kudumbasree units in Kottayam and Kozhikode. “There are also customers who continue to buy the medicines by post and we have a good clientele in the cities of Bangalore and Mumbai,” says Fathima. She has also found a recipe to make oil-free pickles and offers low-calorie pickle varieties for cholesterol and diabetic patients.
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