By PTI
NEW YORK: Ayurveda, an ancient system of Indian traditional medicine, is a very dynamic science and is a system that has very strong spiritual dimension and is about introspection of the self, India’s Consul General in New York Randhir Jaiswal said.
The Consulate General of India in New York organised a panel discussion titled ‘Ayurveda in Everyday Life’ on Tuesday on the occasion of Ayurveda Day 2021.
Moderated by author and Elements Truffles co-founder Kushal Choksi, the discussion included participation by Shankara Naturals CEO Bhushan Deodhar, Elements Truffles co-founder Alak Vasa and The Well co-founder and CEO Rebecca Parekh.
Jaiswal highlighted that Ayurveda is an ancient system of Indian traditional medicine and is as relevant today in modern times. He noted that a lot is being done on Ayurveda in various parts of world – from research institutes in Arizona to institutes and universities in India.
Ayurveda “is a system which has a very strong spiritual dimension to it. It’s about introspection of self. For that reason Ayurveda treats every person as an individual”, which is not the case in other branches of medicine, he said.
“It is a very dynamic science,” he said adding that for many people around the world Ayurveda is a “lived experience”. He stressed that Ayurveda has a very strong correlation with and deeply embraces nature.
Jaiswal underlined that salience of Ayurveda and systems of traditional medicines in various parts of the world is on the rise, as he cited data from the World Health Organisation to note that countries with national policies on traditional and complementary medicines has increased from 25 in 1998 to 98 in 2018.
Countries with health insurance cover for traditional and complementary medicines increased from 37 in 2012 to 45 in 2018.
“Today is a celebration of Ayurveda but as much a celebration of traditional systems of knowledge and medicine” that are prevalent in countries across the world. Vasa said that for her the revelation of Ayurveda was not in any text or book but it was a “tangible experience”.
“It actually said listen to your body and do things based on what is happening inside of you,” she said. Deodhar added that one of the things about Ayurveda is that “it is very personalised”.
In New Delhi, Union AYUSH Minister Sarbanand Sonowal on Tuesday announced a budget of Rs 260 crore for expanding the infrastructure of National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA) satellite centre in Panchkula, Himachal Pradesh.
He made the announcement during his address at a gathering on importance of wellness and preventive care for a healthy life on National Ayurveda Day, which has been themed, ‘Ayurveda for Poshan’. “Ayurveda can play an important role in raising awareness among the general public about the necessity and importance of leading a disease-free, healthy and long life, both physical and mental,” Sonowal said.
