Marma therapy to regain its old world charm

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  To give a fillip to marma therapy, the ancient practice which flourished in  erstwhile Travancore, the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) under the Ministry of AYUSH has come out with a plan. Though it was practised in a widespread manner, it is now limited to certain pockets in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district.

Under the plan, an 18-member expert group, which will identify research and documentation related to marma therapy and suggest a suitable strategy for the furtherance of this practice, will be set up.“Marma therapy involves applying pressure on vital points of the body, thereby releasing pressure and alleviating pain,” said V C Deep, National Ayurveda Research Institute for Panchakarma. “Since it has emerged the said therapy is being practised in various streams like Kalari and Kathakali,  CCRAS is planning to document it, identify the best practices and to give popularity to the same,”  he said.

According to Deep, it will be ayurveda and siddha medical streams which will spearhead the study and prepare the framework for the same during the meeting of stakeholders scheduled for January 28-29 at Kottakkal in Malappuram. 

The expert group headed by CCRAS director general K S Dhiman is entrusted with four key responsibilities - appraisal of the research and documentation of effective marma practices, exploring the rationale for the practices related to marma, suggestions for development of standard operating procedures (SOP) for marma practices and suggestions for a document on Standardised Marma Terminology and Atlas of Marma Points. 

Sadath Dinakar,  Ayurveda Medical Association of India general secretary, told Express, “Marma therapy had for long been part of the ayurveda stream. When it comes to teaching ayurveda, there is a separate Department for Marma. The proposed study will help  widen the scope of marma therapy in modern times.” 

According to Sadath, while marma therapy is meant for immediate pain relief like acupuncture, there is a need to carry out detailed research on its efficacy. The expert group comprises seven members from the state. N Shanmugham of the Coimbatore-based Thirumoolar Varmology Institute, has published a thesis on marma therapy and its practice in certain pockets of Kanyakumari district. 

According to the CCRAS authorities, Shanmugam could well prove a crucial link between researchers and traditional marma therapists in bringing out the SOP and Standardised Marma Terminology, besides the Atlas of Marma Points.