National Institute of Naturopathy remembers Mahatma the healer
Oct 12, 2020
New Delhi [India] October 12 : Mahatma Gandhi's concept of a compassionate lifestyle and connection between non-violence and well-being were some of the topics discussed last week during an ongoing webinar series that commenced on October 2 to mark the Father of the Nation's 151st birth anniversary.
To re-kindle public interest in Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts on health, food, and nutrition, the National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN), Pune, under the Ministry of AYUSH, is observing his 151st birth anniversary through the mega-series of 48 webinars.
According to PIB, the Gandhi Jayanti observation by NIN, earlier the All India Nature Cure Foundation trust, founded by Gandhiji himself in 1945, started on October 2 with the opening of the "Living Gandhi" memorial for the public.
Also, the results of an essay competition, conducted by the NIN for the students of Yoga and Naturopathy colleges, was announced.
On October 2, A N Tripathi, former additional principal chief conservator of forests in Maharashtra, spoke about his personal experiences where the ideals of Gandhiji, employed by him, with regard to the conservation of nature bore a positive impact on public health.
Prof. Gita Dharampal from Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon spoke about Gandhiji's impact as a healer on October 3. She emphasised on the psychosocial healing of an entire nation that took place amid the political implications of Gandhiji's movements like satyagraha. "Non-violence indeed was the value which acted as a healing balm," she said.
The next day Dr George Mathew from the Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi, spoke on the topic "Gandhiji, Gram Swaraj, and Gram Aarogya", explaining his views on "Village as a Republic", the underlying purpose of which was self-reliance.
Gandhiji's concepts about a compassionate lifestyle were explained by Nikhil Lanjewar, a conservationist, on October 5. He emphasised how compassion can transform one's self and ultimately lead to a minimalistic lifestyle with the consequent benefits of peace and wellbeing.
On October 6, Dr Rajnikant Srivastava of the Regional Medical Research Centre, Gorakhpur, explained the relevance of Gandhian virtues to health. Dr Srivastava even shared information on Gandhiji's health files with the audience.
October 7 saw Corporate Chef Nishant Choubey sharing some interesting perspectives on Gandhian meal for the 21st Century. The speaker paralleled the ethnic cuisine of India with Gandhiji's ideas on swaraj and swadeshi. He took the concept further to the possibilities of making modern food tasty as well as healthy, with local, seasonal and healthy combinations.
Apart from healthy food, there is also an inter-connection between non-violence and well-being, explained Gambhir Watts of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Australia, on October 8.
The daily series of webinars will continue till November 18, elaborating on the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi's legacy in the 21st century in different walks of life in general, and health in particular.
Anyone can partake in series through https://www.facebook.com/watch/punenin/, says the AYUSH Ministry.
