Interactive Workshop Between Students and Teachers of Ayurveda in Rasa Shastra and Bhaishajya Kalpana

Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV) has been holding these novel kinds of Interactive workshops since 2003. The response of the students and teachers to these workshops is overwhelming and this shows that the professionals are flooded with queries. RAV through these workshops is providing a platform for fruitful interaction and discussions in a congenial atmosphere to clear the doubts of the learners.

These workshops are also helping the seniors to share their experience and expertise and thereby enrich their own knowledge.

Initially, we started the interactive workshops for all subjects of Ayurveda. Due to lack of sufficient time to deliberate on various issues the participating students and resource persons expressed the need of subject wise workshops, so that at least a few issues could be sorted out related to that subject in each workshop and series of such workshops would provide better understanding of concepts and their applicability. Thus, we started inviting the experts of each subject for answers to frequently asked queries on concepts and their practical aspects in day to day learning and practice.

There are several questions by teachers of undergraduate colleges throwing light on various issues that required immediate attention of professionals in the field for concerted research activity. Even the seniors also agreed that there are issues which remain still unsolved and many even untouched. In the present era of patenting of the indigenous knowledge of India by foreigners it is a must to revalidate the subject of Ayurveda in its own language and on modern scientific understanding not only for the benefit of students but also to all concerned. There are many issues to be sorted out on identification of drugs, quality of raw and finished drugs. It appears that teachers and researchers need to concentrate in their fields and make endeavours to settle the issues first for the progress of science. The questions of Rasa Shastra and Bhaishajya Kalpana included in this book provide a number of thesis titles for taking up research projects. Several studies could be taken up on fundamental research with experts of allied sciences for finding solutions.

This ancient science of life, which just a couple of decades ago considered to be unscientific, has suddenly started generating profound worldwide interest. With the latest scientific research and technology scientists are trying to demystify the knowledge that our great sages had acquired with the so-called primitive tools and other assistance. It is indeed a paradox that on one side stands the glorious past with the profound knowledge, wisdom and experience of thousands of years while on the other side remains evidence-based modern science, which has started evolving recently with awesome pace in the last couple of centuries. However, before it could overshadow the indigenous sciences all over the world the realization struck that discarding the experienced and wisdom-based science would be a great blunder. I feel that the following verse was never so much significant as it is today.

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