lives and problems 119
Abdul-Rahman: Now there are no “feelings” for that. Th e fi rst time I had
“Japanese treatment,” when I went there and they gave the “divine light,” my
“body” totally turned around. I fell down. Even though I collapsed, I was con-
scious. I have a memory of everything I did, but I could not control my body. I
turned around and around and fell down. Th ough I had fallen down, they kept
giving “divine light.” When they gave me this, I fell down. It was like this the
fi rst time. Th e second time it was less. Th e third time...Biju: How did this aff ect you?Abdul-Rahman: After this there was no problem. Th ough they were giving the
“light,” they gave it with my body sitting like this. Now there is no problem, no
problem for my body.We then inquired whether Abdul-Rahman would consider trying any other
forms of treatment in the future:
Abdul-Rahman: Whatever may be the treatment, I only wish to recover
completely.Biju: What treatment are you most interested in trying? For example, going to
ayurveda, a temple or a mosque?Abdul-Rahman: Well, generally, I don’t have any preference. Whatever may be
the form, I only want to get better.When we asked whether he preferred allopathy or Okiyama, Abdul-Rahman
gave a similar answer: “By whatever means, I want to get better [māri, lit.
“change”].” Th is is another affi rmation of the pragmatism and fl exibility about
using diff erent systems of medicine that was highlighted earlier. People we spoke
with did not appear to wrestle with the issue of which therapy was “right,” which
belief system they should agree with. In response to questions about future plans
for therapy, we often got answers like those Abdul-Rahman provided: that is,
the ill person and family were willing to try whatever might work. Th is fl ex-
ibility is consistent with observations made by other researchers who found that
therapy-seekers in India do not see diff erent forms of therapy and their diff erent
conceptions of illness as mutually exclusive or contradictory.^14
I cannot help but think that the issue of high educational achievement
and the lack of commensurate jobs in Kerala, which I believe relates to the
state’s high suicide rate (Halliburton 1998), may have implications for Abdul-
Rahman’s situation. Abdul-Rahman had completed his Secondary School
Leaving Certifi cate, which should raise his prospects of employment beyond