Letters to The Editor — July 31, 2025
We must congratulate Team ISRO and NASA for the successful launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite. It is a milestone in the realm of collaborative satellite missions. Surely, such joint missions will foster peer-learning and exposure to cutting-edge space technologies.
Further, in the context of climate change imperatives, having uninterrupted all-weather data insights from the satellite will be of relevance.
G. Ramasubramanyam,
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
ISRO's success is also on a day when the attempt to send Australia's first rocket into space, on Wednesday, ended in failure, just seconds after its launch in Queensland. One wishes both countries success in their space programmes.
V. Subramaniam,
Chennai
Debate in Parliament
The jury is still out on the debate in Parliament, on Operation Sindoor. Is it not time that we focused on more pressing issues facing the nation than engaging in political blame games in Parliament? While it is natural for political differences to arise, prioritising genuine discussions on real challenges is crucial for the progress of our country. This shift towards constructive dialogue and actionable solutions is not just a necessity but also a responsibility we owe to our nation. Let us ensure that Parliament becomes a platform for meaningful change.
Mohammad Asad,
Mumbai
Rising chess star
Young talent Divya Deshmukh etched her name into chess history by defeating Grandmaster Humpy Koneru. Ms. Deshmukh's victory is more than a personal triumph. It reflects India's deep talent pool and growing stature in women's chess. It also underscores how sustained focus on nurturing female talent is beginning to pay dividends. Her journey, from an underdog to India's newest Grandmaster, will inspire a generation.
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai
The integrity of Ayurveda
I write this letter as Guru, Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth, Ministry of AYUSH, New Delhi and Director, Sunethri Ayurvedashram, Thrissur, Kerala. The Editorial page article, 'The Medical Boundaries for AYUSH Practitioners' (July 29, 2025), raises pertinent concerns about the limits of practice and legitimacy in traditional systems such as Ayurveda. While the article rightly warns against cross-practice and unregulated medical claims, what emerges between the lines is an unsettling conflation of Ayurveda with religious nationalism and an implicit dismissal of its independent theoretical foundations. This perspective risks obscuring the integrity of Ayurveda as a distinct, time-tested knowledge system and reducing it to a political or pseudo-scientific artifact.
Ayurveda is a comprehensive and autonomous system of medicine that operates on a distinctive epistemology rooted in centuries of observation, reasoning, and experiential knowledge. Far from being a proto-scientific or incomplete version of modern biomedicine, Ayurveda encompasses its own diagnostic frameworks, therapeutic logics, and philosophical foundations. Its inclusion of physical, metaphysical, and philosophical dimensions constitutes its depth and originality, rather than any epistemic deficit.
The current discourse surrounding the boundaries of AYUSH practice, particularly the increasing attempts to integrate Ayurveda with modern medicine or to conflate the roles of traditional and allopathic practitioners, poses significant concerns. Cross-practice, particularly the unauthorised prescription of modern pharmaceuticals or the performance of biomedical procedures by practitioners trained in Ayurveda, not only violates legal boundaries but also undermines the credibility and internal coherence of both systems. Respecting the integrity of medical systems entails acknowledging their differences, not forcing synthetic alliances that erode clarity, safety, and methodological strength.
Equally concerning is the political appropriation of Ayurveda as a tool for cultural or religious identity assertion. Attempts to tether Ayurveda to ideological constructs such as Hindutva distort its historical evolution and universal relevance. Ayurveda is neither a religious doctrine nor an emblem of any particular political vision; it is a knowledge tradition that has evolved through inclusive inquiry, critical debate, and clinical application across diverse cultural contexts.
What Ayurveda requires today is not artificial elevation through political symbolism, nor validation through superficial integration with biomedical frameworks. Instead, it demands rigorous scholarship, authentic practice, and research grounded in its own paradigms. Preserving the integrity of Ayurveda involves respecting its uniqueness, protecting its epistemic foundations, and fostering its growth through transparent, ethical, and context-sensitive engagement.
The future of Ayurveda lies not in mimicry or politicisation, but in the revitalisation of its core principles, its education systems, and its capacity to respond meaningfully to contemporary health challenges — on its own terms.
Dr. M. Prasad,
Thrissur, Kerala
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