On the occasion of the 6th Ayurveda Day, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Center, the cultural arm of the High Commission of India, Colombo, organized a seminar on 2nd November 2021 on the theme “Ayurveda for Poshan”, in a hybrid mode. A limited number of participants attended the seminar at the Center whereas other participants, including from India, Sri Lanka and Singapore, attended the seminar in a virtual mode. The key objectives of the seminar were to promote exchanges of recent researches in Ayurveda and to spread awareness about Ayurveda for better health and living.
Every year, since 2016, the Government of India celebrates the Ayurveda Day on Dhanvantari Jayanti (Dhanteras) for promotion, propagation and popularization of Ayurveda. The day commemorates the birth anniversary of Lord Dhanvantari, who is referred to as the ‘God of Ayurveda’ in Sushruta Samhita, an ancient Sanskrit text on medicine and surgery. Dhanteras is also first of the five days celebration of Deepavali, the festival of light.
The High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, H.E. Shri Gopal Baglay was the Chief Guest at the seminar. Conveying his greetings on Dhanteras and Deepavali, High Commissioner highlighted the importance of Ayurveda as a holistic system of medicine that focuses on the prevention of disease as well as promotion of health. He underlined the fact that Ayurveda, as a natural system of medicine, promotes harmony of the body and the environment. He highlighted the contribution of Buddhism to the development and spread of Ayurveda and recalled the important roles played by world-renowned Indian universities, such as Nalanda, Takshila, and Vikramshila, as well as noted Buddhist scholars and vaidya physicians, such as Vagbhata and Nagarjuna, in the development and spread of Ayurveda.
Senior Prof. Priyani Paranagama, Director of the Institute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour. Addressing the participants, she highlighted the significance of the centuries old tradition of Ayurveda as a system of medicine and noted that western medicinal science is increasingly taking note of Ayurveda. Dr. Dhammika Abeygunawardhana, Commissioner, Department of Ayurveda, also attended the seminar.
