The Healing Touch: Masseuse Shakuntala Chopdekar’s Gift to Generations of Merces Families
In her six-decade career, Shakuntala’s hands have bestowed vitality and strength on countless infants and mothers.
ANISHA FRANCIS
MERCES: Shakuntala Vinayak Chopdekar is something of a local celebrity in Merces. Now in her seventies, she is picked up and dropped off for work, and many expatriate families plan their trips to Goa around her schedule. That’s because Shakuntala is a dying breed, and the niche service she offers is in high demand – Shakuntala is a traditional baby masseuse or ‘tel kaadpi’ who has massaged four generations of babies in the village, giving them vitality and glowing skin.
Shakuntala was initiated into the secrets of infant massage by her grandmother when she was just 12 years old. In her youth, Shakuntala was a hard worker, juggling cooking for two families, massaging newborns and even gardening and farm work. “My father was an expert in making rafters or maad from coconut logs while my mother was busy distilling grog to make coconut feni,” she recalls. “I used to accompany my aaji and watch her massage mothers and babies and learnt everything I know from her,” she says.
Traditionally, the new mother is also massaged daily for at least a month after the baby is born to restore her strength, relieve back and joint pain, and tone her muscles and skin. “We use only local coconut oil for the massage, preferably the first oil, which is light and watery,” she says. The vigorous massage is always followed by a hot bath, for which Shakuntala prepares a natural cleanser made of egg yolk, gram flour and milk cream, which is said to keep the baby’s skin supple and hydrated and protect it from rashes. The fascinating process is completed by lighting dhoop (benzoin resin) and letting the fragrant smoke waft over the mother and baby. “These are traditions we have been following for thousands of years, but doctors these days advise against lighting dhoop near the baby, I don’t know why,” says Shakuntala, rolling her eyes in mock anger. “However, most of my clients today give me free rein when massaging their toddlers because I have massaged them and their parents before,” she says.
Shakuntala is full of folk knowledge about local herbs, spices and weeds and has many traditional recipes that help in treating colds, colic and indigestion. Most of these potent concoctions are given to the mother, who passes the benefits on to the baby through breast milk.
“Massaging the infant helps in the development of their bones and even corrects minor deformities,” says Shakuntala, who has worked her magic on countless babies with bow legs and weak, underdeveloped arms. “Previously, doctors at GMC would refer parents to me to help babies who they thought might have difficulty walking. Since their bones are still malleable, it is also possible to mould the shape of their noses and skulls,” she says.
Over the years, Shakuntala has become an integral part of many Merces families who adore her. “The problem is that I am ready and eager to retire, but I cannot say no to them when they ask me to massage their babies,” she says. “Even if the baby is born abroad, the parents make it a point to spend some time here so that they can reap the long-term benefits of my massage,” she says, adding that she currently massages seven infants a day, including sets of twins.
Shakuntala’s hands are wiry and strong, but her knees are stiff and sore, making it difficult to walk and impossible for her to sit on the floor and rest the infant on her legs as she used to. “It’s getting harder and harder, and when I massage them, the babies get more muscular and stronger and try to slip away,” she laughs, adding that she doesn’t tolerate any fuss and can stifle any crying with ease. Shakuntala’s baths are so much fun that they eventually prepare the infants for immersion during baptism, allowing a tantrum-free mass to take place.
The reason Shakuntala is still in such demand is because there are few others who have the expertise and experience that she brings – many of them are untrained migrants who are only doing it for the money.
“My daughter learned this skill from me, but she is busy and does not practice it often,” says Shakuntala, who
is willing to teach anyone who is genuinely interested, thus passing on her wealth of knowledge.
