The National Institute of Naturopathy(NIN), Pune under the Ministry of AYUSH, which in an earlier was home to the All India Nature Cure Foundation trust founded by Gandhi Ji in 1945, observed the Gandhiji’s 151st birth anniversary in a spirit of gratitude to his contributions to humanity.
As already reported, the NIN initiated a mega-series of 48 webinars which commenced on Gandhi Jayanti, to re-kindle public interest in Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughts on health, food and nutrition. The first week of the mega-series was received keenly by the public, and covered some elements of Gandhian thought that are as relevant today as they were during his times.
NIN’s Gandhi Jayanti observation started on 2nd October with the opening of “Living Gandhi’ memorial to the public. The ceremonial opening was by Shri Lal Ghanshani, Member, All India Nature Cure Foundation Trust, Society of Servants of God, who is also a member of the Governing body of NIN, Pune. The live Bhavanjali sung by a team from Regional Outreach Bureau (Maharashtra and Goa) at Gandhi prayer platform of NIN set the tone for the homage to Bapu. The results of the essay competition conducted by NIN for the students of Yoga and Naturopathy colleges, was announced in the event.
The first program of the mega-series was streamed on 02nd October, in which Shri A.N Tripathi, former Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Government of Maharashtra spoke about the Mahatma’s Insights on Health. Anecdotes from the speaker’s personal experiences where he employed the ideals of Gandhiji, particularly with regard to conservation of nature with positive impact on Public Health were of particular interest to the audience. The webinar series continued through the week as per schedule, with an e-lecture every day at 11 AM.
Prof. Gita Dharampal from Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon spoke about Gandhiji’s Impact as a Healer on the 3rd of October, and she emphasized the psycho-social healing of an entire nation that took place owing to the political implications of Gandhiji’s movements like Satyagraha. Non-violence indeed was the value which acted as a healing balm. Dr. George Mathew from the Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi spoke about Gandhiji, Gram Swaraj, and Gram Aarogya on the 4th.He explained Gandhiji’s views on ‘Village as a Republic’ the underlying purpose of which was ‘Self-Reliance’. Gandhi Ji’s concepts about Compassionate Lifestyle were explained by Shri Nikhil Lanjewar, noted Conservationist on the 5th of October. His emphasis was on how compassion can transform the one’s self and ultimately lead to minimalistic life, with consequent benefits of peace and wellbeing. Dr. Rajnikant Srivastava of the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Gorakhpur explained Gandhian Virtues and their relevance to Health, the next day. Dr. Srivastava shared information on Gandhiji’s health files which served as inspirational anecdotes to the audience.
The 7th of October saw Shri Nishant Choubey, noted Corporate Chef sharing some interesting perspectives on the Gandhian Meal for the 21st Century. The speaker added an interesting perspective to the ethnic cuisine of India, paralleling it 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. Inter linkages between Non-violence and Wellbeing were explained by Shri. Gambhir Watts of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia on the 8th of October. He highlighted the prominent movements led by Gandhiji and asserted the message of non-violence from these movements to have contributed to wellbeing of societies and humanity.
The daily series of webinars will continue till 18th November 2020, elaborating on the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy in the 21st century in different walks of life in general, and health in particular.
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