Rons Bantwal

Puttur, Apr 12: Hebbarbailu Nagamma Eshwar Bhandari (91),  mother of Poovari Tulu monthly editor Vikub Hebbarbailu, and a renowned folk healer from the prestigious Hebbarbailu Bhandary family, passed away on April 9 after a brief illness. She was a resident of the Eshwar Bhandary compound in Puttur.

A member of the Bellippady Bhandary family, she was widely recognised for her expertise as a native healer, offering remedies for women's postnatal care, constipation, haemorrhoids, and various other ailments. Her herbal medicine for postnatal recovery gained popularity across regions, with people from Mangaluru, Chikkamagaluru, and Koppa seeking her remedies.

Nagamma would often venture into forests and hills in places like Kuriyabandra, Bellippady, Beernabithil, and Nekkare to collect medicinal herbs.

In 2021, she was honoured as one of the key Tulu folk healers during the "Nature Cure Day" celebrations held on November 18. The event was organised in collaboration with Nitte Gulabi Memorial Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Nitte University's Tulu Studies Centre.

A generous philanthropist, Nagamma Bhandary is survived by two sons, three daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and her extended family, including her brother and sister.