Socio-cultural Processes and Livelihood Patterns at Tirurangadi - CDS

profile of the people they were dealing with. This was probably the major reason for the
social acceptance of the healers, although their practice was not ‘scientific’ in the modern
sense. Many healers were remembered for their deftness or ‘kaipunyam’, which is
different from ‘expertise’ in the modern sense. The sustenance of the healing traditions in
the area requires further examination.
Modern medicine entered the area only slowly. First came a few registered medical
practitioners. When the Public Health Department was organized in 1925, the practice of
collecting vital statistics, and sending health visitors for vaccination purposes began.
There was no hospital in the area, and people had to travel to Calicut for being attended
in Hospital for women and children there, or to the Police Hospital at Malappuram.
Another institution that came up was the Aryavaidyasala at Kottakkal, founded in 1900.
Although not practicing modern medicine, the Aryavaidyasala provided better facilities
for advanced treatment. Development of modern healthcare facilities in the region itself
began only during the second half of twentieth Century
Communications
We have referred to the indications on the older pathways and roads that connected
various parts of the field area. During the time of the rebellion there was only one pucca
road crossing the area from Malappuram to Chaliyam, which came via Urakam ,Vengara,
kuriyad, crossed panampuzha river , turned to Tirurangadi from kakkad, proceeded
straight to pallippadi, reached parappanangadi after crossing the river and then turned
north to reach the Chaliyam. This was the road used by troops and policemen moving
from Malappuram. The first bridge at Panampuzha was built after the rebellion and the
second bridge at Palathinkal much later. There was, of course, the railroad, which
provided the major link with outside world, and the importance of the link was
demonstrated in a gruesome manner during the rebellion, in the infamous’ wagon
tragedy’. Otherwise the area had a number pf non- metalled paths, such as the one from