10th Ayurveda Day celebrated at Banaras Hindu University

Varanasi: The Banaras Hindu University on Tuesday organised the 10th Ayurveda Day celebration at Swatantrata Bhawan with this year’s theme – “Ayurveda for the People, Ayurveda for the Earth.”Addressing the inaugural function, the BHU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, said that to promote Ayurveda, school children must be taught its basic principles so that they understand its importance. They must be told when Ayurveda works best. He said that the objective of National Ayurveda Day is to understand and promote the importance of Ayurveda at the individual, family, and societal levels.“We must ponder on whether Ayurveda has received the place it deserves in Indian society or not,” said the VC and called for the preparation of a concrete action plan to make this discipline accessible to as many people as possible. BHU and those associated with the world of Ayurveda should lead the way. He said that integrated medicine should be promoted through the balanced use of modern and traditional methods of medicine to maximise benefits.“When Malviya Ji laid the foundation of the university, Ayurveda was at its core. We should take inspiration from this and work towards making Ayurveda renowned globally,” said the VC and urged the faculty members of Ayurveda in BHU to take steps toward patenting Ayurvedic medicines, technology, research, and signing MOUs with industries with the help of the Atal Incubation Centre.Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Manoranjan Sahu, former Dean of the Faculty of Ayurveda, said that as the country progresses towards development, the diseases are also changing their course and nature. Previously, diseases were caused by infections. Many diseases are now lifestyle-related, such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. These can be cured with the help of Ayurveda. He said that Ayurveda is a holistic medical system that strives to keep both body and mind healthy.Presiding over the programme, Prof. S.N. Sankhwar, Director, Institute of Medical Sciences, said that Ayurveda greatly contributed to treatment in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that today, students from many countries around the world, including South Korea, China, and Sri Lanka, are coming to BHU to study Ayurveda.Following the inaugural session, in the academic session, Prof. R.B. Dwivedi, former Director, IPGTRA, Gujarat Ayurveda University, Jamnagar, and Vaidya Balendu Prakash, former Honorary Physician to the President of India, delivered lectures on Ayurveda. Five books on Ayurveda were also released at the event. Stalls displaying Ayurvedic medicines and products were also set up at the venue to educate the public about the benefits of Ayurvedic products. The programme was attended by department heads, faculty members, and students. Various educational and public awareness programmes were also organised a week prior to Ayurveda Day.