“Sultans” of the ring, wrestlers of an earlier era had a huge following, much like cricket and football today. But the real ‘Ustads’ were the healers, and among them the stalwart Kayangadi Papanna, a wrestler from the late 1800s who knew how to heal using the trigger points in the body, marrying Accupressure with Ayurveda. Papanna’s unique touch has been handed over from one generation to the next, right down to the youngest legatee, 6-year-old Niranjan, at their Akkipet hospice
They were the “Sultans” of the past. Wrestlers, who were hot favourites in the ring, much like Bollywood star, Salman Khan in his last blockbuster. Over a century ago when wrestling enjoyed a huge following, the sport was to people what cricket or football are to fans today in Bengaluru and Mysuru. It even enjoyed royal patronage.
Treating injured wrestlers, who broke their bones or tore a muscle was big business too at the time. One of the most sought after healers in the late 1800s, was Kayangadi Pappana's healing institute in Akkipet. Here injured 'khusti' wrestlers were treated for free and returned to fight another day as good as new.
Interestingly, the legacy of Kayangadi Pappana lingers on as six generations of his family have continued in the business of healing the injured whether they were wrestlers or other people with bone fractures, dislocated joints, sprains, slip discs or other complaints. Even today, treatment is offered for a very small fee.
Says K.R. Kiran Prakash Babu, who runs Ustad Kayangadi Pappana’s Massage Institute: "Our forefather Pappana was a coconut vendor, who took his name from his occupation. Kayangadi means coconut shop. Besides running his coconut business, Pappana was a well known wrestler of his time and was even conferred the title of 'Ustad' by the then rulers of Mysore.”
Not content with being an ace wrestler himself, Pappana set up a wrestling school (Garadimane) to train other budding wrestlers. And during the training he would treat minor injuries suffered by his students, recalls Prakash Babu.
As time passed, he visited the Tawakkal Mastan Dargah and learnt the Sufi saints' art of extracting oil from roots to heal injuries faster. This was the beginning of the healing institute, where he later treated people from all walks of life for various injuries and passed on his knowledge and expertise to his sons.
"He did not charge his patients anything for the treatment. There was a hundi in which the patients could deposit any amount they liked. We continued the tradition till 1999, when we received a grant from the state government. But now as we don't receive it anymore, we charge a nominal fee for the treatment," says Prakash Babu, who learnt the art of healing from his father and grandfather.
"When we touch the affected area, we know what is wrong. We feel the veins and bones and then apply pressure to certain trigger points. Based on the patient's reaction to the applied pressure, we locate the exact affected area and massage it with specially prepared oils and creams," he explains.
The oils and creams are made from roots and herbs specially delivered from Channapatna. There is a specific procedure involved in preparing them. The roots are dried, boiled and mixed with herbs to extract the oil. But the recipe is closely guarded by the family, which claims it can cure even spondylitis and sciatica within a few weeks of treatment.
Ask him if the legacy will carry on and Prakash Babu says he is already training his six year old son K. Niranjan to keep the family tradition alive.” He sits here with me when he is free and has already learnt many things. He gives his grandmother magnetic shock simulation whenever she complains of joint pain," he smiles.
