New Delhi: The Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today called for focussing on alternative medicine and for evidence based validation of our ancient texts to make them accessible and applicable to contemporary challenges. Speaking at an event in RajBhavan, Goa he said, “ We are a nation with a difference….We are rediscovering our roots, and we will get rooted in our roots. I strongly focus on alternative medicine because India is the home of alternative medicine. It is being practiced now very extensively….Let us not confine our ancient texts to libraries. They are not meant for shelf of library. They are meant to be widely disseminated. Let us bring timeless ideas to life through research, innovation, and reinterpretation using modern scientific tools. Let us pursue evidence-based validation, digitisation, translations, and cross-disciplinary studies to make these treasures accessible and applicable to contemporary challenges….. am extremely happy that World Health Organisation has recognised it by establishing a global centre for traditional medicine in Jamnagar, Gujarat. What a powerful recognition of universal relevance of our systems like Ayurveda.”
“Time for us to look back in our Vedas, in our Upanishads, in our Puranas, in our history and time to tell our children from birth about our civilizational depth of knowledge”, he added
Addressing the gathering after commissioning the statutes, Shri Dhankhar stated, “We are celebrating today, those who epitomize knowledge — Charak. Charak was a royal physician in Kushan Kingdom. Charak is known as father of medicine and Charak author Charak Samhita, it is a foundational text for Ayurveda. The other one, Sushrut, father of Surgery, then. I had the occasion to see what you had put in paintings. Surgical instruments during those days, so forward looking and we must always remember. Sushrut was a disciple of Dhanvantari, another celebrated name. ….Let the lives and works of Charaka and Sushruta be a source of inspiration and motivation for all, particularly our impressionable minds.”
Reflecting on the need to take pride in our ancient knowledge, Shri Dhankhar underscored, “ I wish to also focus on, also highlight a particular cultural trait. It is our cultural trait. Within sections of our society, there is a belief. Anything Indic or ancient is a regressive. This trait has no place in modern India. This trait has no place in our times. The world has realised our importance. Time for us also to realise it. We cannot afford a situation to believe West is modern and progressive. Look at the current scenario and you will find it is far from it. India is the center. International Monetary Fund was not wrong and must have said with great difficulty, we are center of excellence. We are a hot spot of golden opportunities, opportunity for investment. That being the situation, let us believe in Indic situations. West is far behind us. In their own mind, they are learning from us.”
Underlining the ancient civilizational knowledge, the Vice-President said, “ The entire West will be stunned if we learn more about our treasure of knowledge…. Charaka, Sushruta, Dhanvantri, Jivaka, renowned Ayurvedic physician. And he was Buddha’s personal doctor…..When it comes to mathematics and astronomy, Aryabhatta, we have named our satellites after him, a great name, and during those times we had Bodhayan, great mathematician, and we have Varahamihira…. He was there when Chandragupta Vikramaditya court was there…..he was one of those. He was having an observatory at Ujjain during those times.”
“We are a unique civilisation….Long before we came to be abreast of the modern surgical situations, 300 surgical procedures, plastic surgery, fracture management, and even caesarean delivery. Just imagine. We need to take great pride in it. At that point of time, what we call super specialty hospitals. The things they transact in medical science, we had it already. And it is not only that. They put it in writing for academicians. Sushruta’s writings reflect not just merely anatomical knowledge, but a profound scientific spirit emphasising accuracy, training, hygiene and patient care”, he added.
