A massage to the world

Amidst the colourful dhurries, wall hangings and blouses that are sold on the streets of Koregaon Park, is this incongruous steel chair. ...

Amidst the colourful dhurries, wall hangings and blouses that are sold on the streets of Koregaon Park, is this incongruous steel chair. And it is this chair in which the stressed and tired bodies seek succour. Once you plonk yourself on this rickety chair, magic from 69 year old Ladley Chowdhry’s fingers take over to coax the stiffness out of the neck, the fatigue out of the bones and tension off the nerves.

For the past 26 years Ladley Chowdhry, a handloom weaver from Solapur, has been massaging people’s heads, neck and legs in full public view. Says he “When the factory closed down in Solapur, I came looking for employment here in Pune.”

Ladley began learning the art of maalish from his uncle. “For one year my uncle taught me how to recognise the strained muscles and nerves. Then he showed me how one uses the hands to help those aches.”

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Ladley massages about three to four people a day and believes that it is hard physical work and bad sleeping postures that cause pains. “Many a time people come to me because they have a stiff neck. I massage their neck and shoulders for half an hour and they’re fine. Some maalishwalas believe that the neck should be twisted in a particular manner so that the pressed nerve is released, but I do not believe it to be so.”

Maalish according to Ladley should be gentle or else it can cause a body ache the next day.“Often it is the untrained man who thinks that by pressing hard, the pain will disappear. But the reverse happens. Though it feels good for the moment it can cause sore muscles the next day.”

Most of Ladley’s clientele are the foreigners who find “Indian massage” much better than the ones available at parlours. Says Ladley “They pay hefty sums of Rs 600 in parlours who massage till they sleep, but when they experience my massage they keep coming back.”

To communicate with his English speaking clients Ladley has put up a board that states Rs 10 for leg massage, and Rs 20 for the head and neck. Besides he has pictures of the various massages so that the Japanese clients can decide.

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Though he charges a maximum of Rs 30, many a time there are some people who dupe him. Says he “The rickshaw drivers or some people on bikes do a massage and then when it’s time to pay, they just get on the bike and run away. In this respect, the foreigners are extremely honest.”

But despite their honesty and generosity, Ladley refuses to go to their homes for a massage. Says he “Four years ago a Dutch lady asked me to come to her house for a massage. But when I went there she was very scantily dressed and was insistent that I do the massage. I was extremely embarrassed and left her house immediately. The foreigners have no qualms about stripping off their clothes so I avoid going to their homes.”

A house visit is reserved only for Indians. Like the time he had to visit an army man who lived nearby. Says Ladley “His whole arm had been stiff for over a year and I massaged it with mustard oil everyday for a month. Today he is fine.”

Does the man who massages aches and pains away, ever face it himself?“No ” says Ladley. “By God’s grace I have never had an ache or a pain in my life. But yes I do feel tired at times. Those are the days when I rub some mustard oil on my body and take a hot water bath to which salt has been added. This is the ultimate cure for fatigue.”

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With the help of coconut oil “for the head” and mustard oil “for the body” this old massage man works his way to relieve the body of its aches. In fact many a time people fall asleep or are so light headed that they forget their belongings on the chair. “When I have to remind them to take their bags, I know that my massage has worked.” says Ladley. And it does for the 10 to 15 people that frequent him everyday.