The Indian Business Council hosted its first professional talk series for the year 2024 on the Topic “Ayurveda for you – From Food to Panchakarma”. The conference was conducted at the SBI Conference Hall at Ebene.
At the outset, Dr. Suresh Nanda, President of the Indian Business Council, highlighted that Ayurveda holds significance in the 21st century for its holistic approach to health, emphasizing personalized well-being, preventive measures, and natural remedies.
It also connects the mind, body, and spirit. Emphasizing preventive care, Ayurveda encourages a healthy lifestyle and dietary habits, aligning itself with the growing interest in natural and holistic health practices. The practice holds time-tested principles and focuses on balance contributing to its enduring relevance in promoting sustainable health.
Ayurveda teaches us to listen to our body’s whispers before they become screams. Its motto is to “Nourish the roots to enjoy the fruits of well-being.”. He feels that in line with the dream of the island establishing itself as a medical tourism destination,
Ayurveda also holds a major business opportunity for Mauritius to establish itself as a destination for Ayurvedic care.
The Conference saw the presence of two prominent speakers Dr. Ish Sharma, Ayurveda Chair, University of Mauritius, and Dr. Adarsh Thaikkadath, Ayurvedic Physician and Manager of Ayuryoga International Retreat and Research Centre.
The session started with Dr. Ish Sharma highlighting the origin of Ayurveda and its focus on the holistic treatment of body and mind. He mentioned the Ayurvedic way of eating, the strong scientific evidence about the health benefits of the Ayurvedic way of fasting, and the existence of autophagy in Ayurvedic contexts. Food being the strongest medicine, and over-eating leading to multiple health issues were explained.
The analogy of a Yogi / balanced personality eating once a day, a Bhogi / average worldly person eating twice a day, whereas a Rogi / unhealthy person eating thrice a day enthralled the listeners.
The audience was given an insight into the Ayush Wellness Program introduced by Dr. Sharma for the primary school Health and Physical Education curricula for healthier future generations in Mauritius with respect to Non-Communicable diseases.
Setting up of the Ayurvedic Garden at the State House Reduit to showcase the importance of common Ayurvedic herbs growing in Mauritius for improved public awareness was informed to the gathering.
The initiatives heralded by both the Indian, and Mauritian governments to set up the Ayush Centre of Excellence at Côte d’Or to deliver full-fledged Ayurveda services, education, research, and tourism was also conveyed by Dr. Sharma reflecting the availability of ayurvedic treatment on the local shores.
Dr. Adarsh Thaikkadath emphasized the importance of Panchakarma in the contemporary world. He gave a brief outline of each Panchakarma therapy with its therapeutic benefits. He also advocated the need for everyone to take Nithya Virechana (Daily Detoxification) to maintain a healthy metabolism. The expert also shared health tips and the way of balanced eating that can have multiple positive impacts on the body.
The enlightening conference was followed by an active Q&A session where both Speakers cleared many doubts and queries raised by the members with the help of scientific validations and Ayurvedic references.
