[But Ayurveda’s efficacy is disputed. Modi’s critics associate the Ayurveda push with his Bharatiya Janata Party’s Hindu nationalist ideology. Some of Ayurveda’s most prominent supporters have links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu supremacist organization. Some proponents of Ayurveda even extol the virtues of drinking cow urine as an antidote to cancer and other illnesses, because of a belief in the cow as a holy animal.]
By
Vidhi Doshi
 |
|
People
perform a nostril breathing exercise while performing yoga at Lodhi Gardens
in
New Delhi. (Udit Kulshrestha/Bloomberg)
|
Many
here believe that the West has plundered the country’s 3,000-year-old tradition
of holistic healing to sell expensive aloe vera face creams or $6 cups of
turmeric-flavored “golden milk.” Now Narendra Modi , India
Documented
in ancient texts, Ayurveda emphasizes prevention over cure and prescribes
healthy living practices and herbal remedies.
Brands
like Aveda and Lush borrow from Ayurveda to develop skin-care products while
trendy coffee shops and juice bars in American cities repackage India
“All
over the world, a parallel movement is going on for traditional medicine,” said
Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, secretary of Modi’s recently launched Ministry of AYUSH,
an acronym that stands for ayurveda, yoga, unani, siddha and homeopathy, all
traditional medicines. “India
But
Ayurveda’s efficacy is disputed. Modi’s critics associate the Ayurveda push
with his Bharatiya Janata Party’s Hindu nationalist ideology. Some of
Ayurveda’s most prominent supporters have links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh, a Hindu supremacist organization. Some proponents of Ayurveda even extol
the virtues of drinking cow urine as an antidote to cancer and other illnesses,
because of a belief in the cow as a holy animal.
To
relaunch “Brand Ayurveda,” government agencies have filed dozens of
international patents, started research programs at top Indian universities and
sent experts to develop Ayurveda courses at colleges around the world. Delegates
in 25 countries have set up “information cells” to spread awareness about
traditional Indian knowledge.
In
rural India
In
the desert state of Rajasthan, for instance, where water-guzzling crops often
fail in the harsh climate, farmers are planting aloe vera and Indian
gooseberries to replace wheat and millet.
“We
have to boost Rajasthan’s farmers to survive in this environment. Take the
Chinese — every material of theirs is reaching every market,” said Kailash
Sharma, medical officer at the state’s AYUSH department, speaking of China
Reviving
Ayurveda is one of Modi’s flagship policies and part of his rhetoric of
restoring India
Modi
argues that since colonial times, the West has promoted modern medicine and big
pharmaceutical companies’ interests over traditional alternatives. As a result,
he says, Indians neglected their heritage while Western companies mined
Ayurvedic traditions for miracle cures, filed patents and sold products without
crediting India
“Our
grandmothers’ remedies have become the intellectual property rights of other
countries,” Modi said, addressing an audience in New Delhi
Reclaiming
and promoting Ayurveda has practical benefits, too, said Rajiv Vasudevan, a
chairman of the Ayurveda core group at the Confederation of Indian Industry. Promoting
Indian expertise could bring foreign cash and has “soft-diplomacy” benefits, he
said, explaining that it would introduce people all over the world to Indian
traditions.
“We
are a proud nation, we have a rich history, and we have something to share with
the world,” he said.
To
Indians, the government is promoting Ayurveda as a solution to the country’s
health-care crisis.
In
January, lawmakers tried to pass a new bill in Parliament that would allow
practitioners of Ayurveda, homeopathy and other alternative health-care systems
to prescribe modern medicine after completing a three-month course. The plan
addressed the chronic shortage of doctors in rural India
“Suppose
you have a shortage of pilots. Would you allow a rickshaw driver to fly the
plane?” said Arun Gupta, president of the Delhi Medical Council and a member of
the rival Aam Aadmi Party. The bill is under review.
But
critics say that standardization for Ayurveda is still lacking. “We haven’t got
around to certifying things as being human consumable,” said Sudhir
Krishnaswamy, who teaches politics and law at the Azim Premji university in Bangalore
Critics
also argue that some of the “traditional” practices the government is promoting
aren’t Indian at all. Unani and homeopathy — both promoted by Modi’s AYUSH
ministry — originate in Greece and Germany, respectively, and many countries
have competing claims on the discovery of aloe vera’s medicinal properties.
But
for others, like Vasudevan, Ayurveda’s resurgence symbolizes India
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