Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar calls for focus on alternative medicines
New Delhi [India], May 22 (ANI): Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar called for focus on alternative medicine and for evidence-based validation of our ancient texts to make them accessible and applicable to contemporary challenges on Thursday, as per a release.
Speaking at an event in Raj Bhavan, Goa, the Vice President 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 practised now very extensively.... Let us not confine our ancient texts to libraries. They are not meant for the shelf of a 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 the World Health Organisation has recognised it by establishing a global centre for traditional medicine in Jamnagar, Gujarat. What a powerful recognition of the 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, 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 to see what you had put in your 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, 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 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 centre. The International Monetary Fund was not wrong and must have said with great difficulty, we are a centre of excellence. We are a hot spot of golden opportunities, an investment opportunity. That being the situation, let us believe in Indic situations. West is far behind us. In their 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, a renowned Ayurvedic physician, and he was Buddha's 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, a great mathematician, and we have Varahamihira.... He was there when Chandragupta Vikramaditya's 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. Then, what we call super-speciality hospitals. The things they transact in medical science, we already have them. 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. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari meets Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, reviews National Highway projects
New Delhi [India], June 4 (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta met Union Minister Nitin Gadkari at the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Wednesday. Delhi Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena was also present on the occasion. The Union Minister reviewed the progress of ongoing National Highway projects in Delhi with Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and CM Rekha Gupta. Other MPs and senior officials of the Delhi government were also present at the meeting. On June 3, launching the Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday announced that from November 1, only BS-VI (Bharat Stage 6), CNG, or EV commercial vehicles will be allowed to enter the city. 'From November 1, 2025, any vehicle that comes to Delhi will have to be a BS6, CNG, or EV commercial vehicle,' Gupta said at a press conference. She said that the state government's dream is to chase 'clean, green and healthy Delhi', for which the Environment Ministry of Delhi has drafted an Air Pollution Mitigation Plan for this year. 'Environment Day is very close, and air pollution in Delhi is a matter that is related to all of us. For years, we have been suffering from air pollution. We have a dream - Clean Delhi, Green Delhi, Healthy Delhi. I am very happy that our Environment Department and Minister have drafted a fantastic Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025,' the Delhi CM said. Gupta said that the national capital would witness its first artificial rain 'very soon' with the help of cloud seeding techniques. 'Very soon, Delhi will have its first artificial rain through cloud seeding,' the CM said. She said the Delhi government would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with science organisations to utilise innovative techniques to combat pollution. For cloud seeding and artificial rain, an MoU has been signed with IIT Kanpur as a pilot project. 'To reduce and eliminate pollution, we will sign MoUs with all our science organisations, which will use their latest innovations to help the Delhi government fight against pollution. For example, the Delhi government has signed an MoU with IIT Kanpur, which is based on cloud seeding and artificial rain, which we have approved to start as a pilot project,' Gupta said. The Delhi CM said the government was planning to install 'mist sprayers' in areas often categorised as pollution hotspots to manage dust particles. 'It will be mandatory to install anti-smog guns on all high-rise buildings, especially commercial buildings above 3,000 metres, malls, hotels, etc. and due to this, dust mitigation will be reduced in all of Delhi,' Gupta said. She said that the Delhi government also plans to install Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at all entry points to the metropolitan city, which would allow the identification and stopping of end-of-life vehicles that spread pollution. 'We will install Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at all the entry points of Delhi, which will be able to identify end-of-life vehicles, and as soon as the vehicle comes in the range of these cameras, it will be known that this vehicle is an end-of-life vehicle and is spreading pollution, so they will be traced and stopped immediately. These cameras will also be installed at all petrol pumps, and we will be able to detect end-of-life vehicles... Together, we can deal with the big problem of pollution in Delhi,' the Delhi CM said. (ANI)
India.com
3 hours ago
- India.com
Congress Criticised, I Didnt: On Bengaluru Stampede Deaths, Siddaramaiahs Kumbh Parallel
Bengaluru Stampede: A tragic incident unfolded in Bengaluru on Wednesday when a stampede occurred near the Chinnaswamy Stadium as fans had gathered to cheer for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for winning their first IPL trophy in 18 years. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that such incidents happen in many places and drew a parallel to the Kumbh Mela that was held earlier this year. In the stampede, 11 people lost their lives and 47 were injured. Speaking to the media about the incident, the CM added that the Congress party had criticised the incident that happened during Kumbh Mela 2025, however, the Karnataka government did not. "Such incidents happened in many places; I am not going to defend it by comparing them and saying that it happened here and there... 50-60 people died in Kumbh Mela. I did not criticise. If Congress criticises, then that is a different matter. Did I or the Karnataka government criticise?" said Karnataka CM. #WATCH | Bengaluru stampede | "Such incidents happened in many places; I am not going to defend it by comparing them and saying that it happened here and there... 50-60 people died in Kumbh Mela. I did not criticise. If Congress criticises, then that is a different matter. Did I… — ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2025 Earlier, Siddaramaiah, in a post on the social media platform X, had expressed shock over the stampede and said that the moment of joy was eclipsed by sorrow. "Deeply shocked by the tragic loss of lives in the stampede during the RCB victory celebrations near Chinnaswamy Stadium. A moment of joy has been eclipsed by sorrow," he posted. "I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," Karnataka CM added. He also added that a victory parade for the RCB was not allowed as a precautionary measure; however, a crowd surge near the stadium where the felicitation ceremony was taking place for the team led to the stampede. "Precautionary measures were taken by not allowing a victory parade, but the crowd surge near the stadium led to this tragedy. I urge everyone to always prioritise safety — above excitement, celebration, or crowd fervour," Siddaramaiah wrote. The Prime Minister's Office also posted on X and quoted PM Narendra Modi as saying, "The mishap in Bengaluru is absolutely heartrending. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those who are injured have a speedy recovery." The Deputy CM of Karnataka, speaking to the media, complimented the police and said, " Again I'm telling on record. I should compliment my Police officers... morning also, they wanted to have a procession, they wanted to bring a vehicle from the airport itself... Police guided us not to... that's why I rushed to the airport and ensured nothing went wrong... in Vidhana Soudha, also we were very cautious..." Shivakumar also informed that, for Thursday, except for the cabinet meeting, all programmes have been postponed.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Bengaluru Stampede: DK Shivakumar meets stampede victims, promises full support
— ANI (@ANI) (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar on Wednesday expressed profound grief over the devastating stampede at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, which claimed at least eleven lives and injured several others during a public celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru 's first-ever IPL title victory."Visited Bowring Hospital to meet those injured and the bereaved in today's unfortunate incident near Chinnaswamy Stadium. Saddened to witness their pain and speak to the victims during these difficult moments. I assured them of the best medical care and full support from the Government, and I wish them a speedy recovery. Let our pride and passion always bring joy, not risk. Life is above all. I urge everyone to stay safe and reach home safely.", Shivkumar said in a post on stampede broke out as hundreds of fans assembled in Bengaluru to welcome the RCB players during their victory procession. The massive, unanticipated turnout and insufficient arrangements led to chaos. Emergency teams swiftly responded, with footage showing police assisting the injured and ambulances making their way through the frenzied crowd.
