KOCHI: During his time in Netherlands, Thomas Punnen recollects how a man was all set to commit suicide from an old Amsterdam building where he was stranded. The man was severely crippled, and there seemed no hope for him. That was when someone took his case to Punnen, who was acquiring some fame as a medicine man from India. In a few days, onlookers watched with amazement how this man who could barely stand on his feet, walking around. It was an incident which firmly established Punnen’s reputation among the Dutch. He joined the David Robertson Foundation there, and began treating patients who came to him with a variety of problems. Most of these issues were related to whiplash injuries, chronic migraines and other nerve related problems. Later in 1993, Punnen started the first Kerala Ayurvedic Centre in Holland that flourished in no time. Many international celebrities flew down to his centre for treatments.But all this wasn’t an overnight success. Punnen’s interest in ayurveda and herbal medicines started when he was a teenager at Cherthala. When he was in college, he knew of a travelling guru who miraculously cured patients using his herbal mix of oils and treatments. “I would see patients coming to him writhing in pain and going back cured. His diagnosis was excellent. I grew interested in knowing how he made his medicines and did his treatments. He set up gurukulams wherever he travelled and I used to assist him. I learnt a great deal from him,” Punnen recollects.But that was not the end of it. Punnen self-educated himself. “Kerala is rich in green herbs, which is why ayurveda is so widespread here,” he says. But he also grew aware that the techniques of ayurveda were spread far and wide. “It’s believed that many of the ancient learnings of ayurveda rested with the Bhuddist monks who took it with them to Tibet and other South Asian countries.”Punnen lost no time in visiting many of these countries, and working in Thai and other massage centers, learning everything he could about the numerous herbal techniques that were employed. Whatever money he made, he used it for travel and to acquire more knowledge related to his field. “I travelled to many European countries. My objective was always to earn just enough that would enable me to travel. I kept coming back to India, but my treatments here was limited for friends and family. Even otherwise, I never charged anyone here,” he says.Finally, it was Netherlands, where Punnen spent a considerable number of years. Getting a passport was an ordeal and it was only after several years that he got a resident permit. Punnen worked towards developing various patents, many of them which he brought out. “Many foreigners disliked the odour of ayurvedic oils. I thus created oils with a more pleasing smell, and yet as effective,” he says. But overwork finally took a terrible toll on his health. The government was refusing a permit to his wife, and unable to take the stress, Punnen finally decided it was time to return to his own country. Today, settled in his home in Tiruvalla with his family, Punnen offers assistance and advice to those who come to him, but takes on no cases. Wouldn’t he want to pass on his mine of knowledge? “Yes, that is something I might want to do sooner or later,” he says. But that he would like to do only when his mind is more calm. Who can grudge him that, after a life of such intense travel, research and diligence? But he is certain about the effectiveness of ayurveda. “It’s appeal and usefulness will only grow in the years to come. All nerve-related and other toxic illnesses can be cured by ayurveda, and increasingly people are becoming aware of its benefits,” he says.
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