Thank you for your enthusiastic response to the First circular of  International Congress -‘Ayurveda 2000’ which is scheduled to be held on 28th, 29th & 30th of Jan 2000 at Chennai (Madras).

This congress is organised to restore the glory of the “Quality Living” and to spellout the Ayurvedic solutions for the health hazards posing the New millennium.  This objective could only be achieved by bringing together those sages of Ayurveda, who have adopted this science of life as their mission and life style to discuss and deliberate on various research findings, clinical experiences and the scientific advancements in the field of holistic approach to health care.

Indeed it would be a great occasion for the younger generation of “Nachiketus” to take over the mantle from the eminent Gurus and be bestowed of their experiential knowledge of holistic treatment.  Free paper communications (oral and poster) are arranged to give opportunity for all the researchers, practitioners and students to discuss their research findings in the field of Ayurveda and allied disciplines.  In the prize paper sessions, twenty five prizes are to be awarded to the best undergraduates, postgraduates & research students for their  scientific knowledge and communicational skills displayed in essay, oral and written presentations.  Students are also given special concessions in terms of highly subsidised registration fee and free accommodation.

Though this ancient system of medicine is immensely rich in several aspects, its richness is yet to be popularised among common people. Hence, we would like to present the values and the wisdom of vedic science in the letter and spirit in which the modern world professing to adopt scientific approaches, would understand and accept.

I am certain, with the participation of you all, together we would be able to converge our thoughts and light up our zeal to focus towards the challenges of the new millennium.

I remember a quote from Katopanishat, in which Yamadharma (God of  time principle) answers to the query of young Nachiketus, who was in search of wisdom, 

Looking  forward to meet you at Chennai.

Ever since life first appeared on the surface of this earth, no doubt disease also appeared.  Infection of one ‘lifeform’ by another, decay and destruction are all part of nature.   All living organisms seek redress from distress.  Man alone with his ‘so called’ sixth sense developed remedies to achieve solace, physical and mental comfort, recovery and total rehabilitation.  He tried several approaches and as he acquired greater and greater knowledge, developed his efforts into a separate branch of knowledge, which has been categorised as the art of medicine in earlier days, and as the science of medicine in recent times.

The foundations for medicine were severally laid down by early men living in different continents, separated by time and space.  Depending on the flora and fauna  of each locality, man with his innovative nature, identified several natural remedies, most of which are from the plant kingdom.  India with its long history of culture and knowledge has collected information and codified them as the science of Ayurveda or the science of  life.

Earlier medical Savants have written treatises on the practices and procedures in the use of such therapy.  In a large part of the country many of these remedies are still in use and the practitioners are mostly Ayurvedic physicians.  In modern days when the world has shrunk in time and space, all types of knowledge have to spread to various parts of the globe.  Liberalisation and globalisation have become oftused slogans.  There has to be a proper interchange of ideas and exchange of knowledge to derive the full benefits of knowledge now available in different parts of the world.

This International Congress ‘Ayurveda 2000’, sponsored mainly by the efforts of Sowparnika Ayurvedic Foundation for Research, Health and Education, aims to create a suitable environment for exchange of knowledge, particularly about herbal remedies, existing in several areas of the different continents, and also, to understand the basic principles and concepts on health and disease which form the basis of the use of such herbal remedies. 

I hope this mammoth effort by selected visionaries in the field of Ayurveda will promote global participation and generate ideas for further research in the field of holistic medicine and herbal therapy.

With best wishes for the success of the conference.