Interactive Workshop Between U.G. Students and Teachers of Ayurveda

Ayurveda is the knowledge of life transmitted from Guru to Shishya for generations, initially orally and later through compositions and compilations by intelligent Shishyas. All those studying Ayurveda know this fact.

The ancient educational system in India was said to have been carried out under Guru-Shishya parampara, where the students used to go to the Ashram of Guru in search of knowledge and learnt the subjects of their choices. There are ample evidences in the Samhitas that interactive workshops were regularly held during the time of Atreya-Agnivesha and Dhanwantari-Sushruta. The discussions thus held on various topics have been compiled and inferences drawn upon them with proper reasoning have also been mentioned in the Samhitas for those, who attended such congregations and others. There is a lot that we need to learn from these texts, not only with relation to subject matter but also the methods of improving the existing knowledge through interaction with learned, intelligent and inquisitive scholars.

It is the common experience of students, junior teachers and young doctors, who in the beginning of their professional career come across certain points/subjects in texts and day-to-day practice, which require explanation, clarification and scientific understanding. In many colleges, despite of their having qualified staff, certain topics confuse the students and make them pass out without much perception on the concepts of Ayurveda and their practical utility. It is frequently raised and argued by the students that some of the topics that could not be explained in terms of present understanding may be deleted from the syllabus/texts, as these are not relevant in the present day.

But before coming to such conclusion it is necessary to discuss the matters of uncertainty on a common platform. It is usually found that the routine conferences on specific subject/topic often limit the discussion on the topic and many times fail to clarify the doubts of young for the lack of time. Hence, it would be appropriate to hold exclusive interactive sessions between students and eminent academicians & Vaidyas. Such series of thorough sessions with experienced teachers of the same subjects may provide answers to debatable topics, which would help in furtherance of knowledge of Ayurveda.

**Contents and Sample Pages**