Lakshmikutty Amma is one of the most respected traditional healers of Kerala’s Kani tribe. And she has been awarded Padma Shri on the basis of the same.

In this conversation, she reflects on how the Kani people got their name, why Sage Agastya continues to hold an important place in their tradition, and the role of the Plathi within their community. She also shares remedies passed down through generations, speaks about living alongside the forest, and reflects on how tourism and changing forest policies have altered the Kani way of life.

For Lakshmikutty Amma, the forest is more than a place, it is a teacher, a pharmacy, and a home. Through her memories, we glimpse a worldview where knowledge is carried through people, not books, and where the relationship between humans and nature is built on coexistence rather than control.

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First Published by Afterimages on 27 September, 2026.