Importance of research in Ayurvedic Medicine
 

The most outstanding pioneer in the field of Ayurveda, the late G.P. Wickramaarchchi, was the illustrious founder of the Gampaha Wickramaarachchi Ayurvedic Institute at Yakkala which made a very noteworthy contribution to the development and propagation of Ayurveda in Sri Lanka. He epitomized both indigenous medicine and Sinhala culture.

Pandit G.P. Wickramaarachchi was born in 1889 and devoted his entire life for learning and treating of patients. It was in 1917 that he entered the Calcutta Astanga Ayurveda Vidyalaya to further his education in the field of Ayurveda; he, after obtaining the LMS degree from this prestigious Institute of Ayurveda in Calcutta, came back to Sri Lanka in 1921 to begin a career as a teacher and physician.

Cultural degradation

It was during this period that our country witnessed a period of cultural degradation, the main feature of which was the deterioration of the Sinhala culture, all institutions associated with it began to decline.

As we all know, the Ayurvedic system of medicine, which was rooted in the Sinhala culture and the Buddhist religious tradition, has begun to decline due to the impact of colonial domination, and no attempts were made to revive it by the then influential English-educated elite who were servile to the Western culture.

It was left to an enterprising and nationalist-minded individual like Pandit G.P. Wickramaarachchi to take the initiative in establishing the Gampaha Siddayurveda Vidyalaya in 1921. Within a short period of time it emerged as an institution engaged in the teaching of Ayurveda, and it, in addition, committed itself to the preservation of the national culture.

This was largely because of the fact that Ayurveda, as the form of indigenous medicine which came down the ages from very ancient times was very much rooted in the national tradition and the Sinhala culture. In our pantheon of ancient kings, the King Buddhadasa was recognized as an outstanding physician cum king whose feats in Ayurveda are still a part of our great intellectual tradition.

Indigenous medicine

The establishment of the Wickramaarachchi Ayurve-dic Institute at Yakkala was a landmark in the development of indigenous medicine in Sri Lanka; it was through this Institute that a large number of Ayurvedic physicians were produced. They, who studied at the feet of an illustrious teacher of Ayurveda, went back to their native villages to practise Ayurveda. In this way, a large clientele of Gampaha Ayurvedic physicians came on the scene and each major town or a village had a Gampaha trained Ayurvedic physician who, with the passage of time, became some kind of an alternative leader.

Mahendralal Das Gupta, contributing an article to Wickramaarachchi Felicitation Volume, says that -”altogether six hundred students have passed - out of this institution and they are well settled up”. This statement of an Indian scholar amply demonstrates the way in which the Institute made an impact and every village had a ‘Gampaha Vedamahattaya’, who, in course of time, became a powerful member of the emerging alternative elite.

It was this alternative elite, later came to be known as the ‘Pancha Maha Balavegaya, which made a lasting impact on the process of political change in 1956, and it was after this landmark political change that Ayurveda was given State recognition. Though a Commission was appointed in 1946 to study indigenous medicine and make recommendations for its improvement, no proper State recognition was given till the late fifties.

Traditional medicine

The traditional medicine of Sri Lanka, according to many a researcher in the field, consists of Ayurveda - which is similar to North Indian traditional medicine with unique Sri Lankan features, Sidda - which is similar to South Indian traditional medicine and Unani medicine which is of Arabic origin.

In Sri Lanka, as in India, there is one segment of indigenous medicine, based primarily on medicinal recipes handed down through ages in established families. This kind of intellectual wealth is found in the ancient manuscripts. On the basis of the traditional division to which I referred above, there are four categories of indigenous medicine in Sri Lanka which came to be recognized in the Ayurveda Act No. 31 of 1961.

As in the days of ancient kings, among whom King Buddhadasa was an outstanding physician, State patronage was extended to Ayurveda which has now been given a University status.

The Ayurveda Act No. 31 of 1961 laid a solid foundation for the development of the subject, and today, in addition to its University status, a Ministry of Indigenous Medicine has been created for the promotion of Ayurveda and Ayurvedic Institutions. It is certain to give further impetus to the development of Ayurveda in Sri Lanka.

The theme chosen for the symposium is - ‘Food Culture and Healthy Life’- which is very much relevant in the present context as there is today an international interest in Ayurveda. Indigenous Medicine Minister Tissa Karalliyedda, through a new set of policies, is trying to give Ayurveda an international status; he is now in the process of establishing a few centres of treatment abroad.

International market

In my view, Ayurveda has an international market which needs to be exploited by Sri Lanka as the country has a galaxy of renowned physicians; this has become an aspect of tourism as well. It is in this context that this Research Symposium becomes important and relevant. This is the third in a series of seminars which have been organized by the Institute, and all symposia bring together scholars and researchers in different fields. Since Ayurveda is taught at the University level, research needs to be given recognition.

I do not have the competence to judge the research articles appearing in our learned journal but I found them to be well researched and well documented. The reputation of a University depends, to a large extent on its research profile, and the number of internationally recognized scholars associated with the institution. Both individual academics and the institution should have a research reputation.

Research

In my view, in certain disciplines research output has declined; in the past there was substantial amount of research in Humanities and Social Sciences and this too has declined; there are academics, who retire after forty years of service without much of a research record.

This is true of academics whose only research is confined to what they did for a post-graduate degree. In my view, Sri Lankan Universities need to promote a new research culture in order to remain competitive in a global University environment.

A new emphasis on research is necessary as the Universities have become engaged in the construction of knowledge economies. See for instance, the knowledge, which the scholars here in this symposium are generating, and it, in the given global context, could be treated as relevant knowledge for a rapidly changing world dominated by knowledge.

I would like to raise an important point in respect of research in the Universities; whatever the discipline, specialisation needs to be recognized as a secure way to produce knowledge. Yet another requirement is the link between teaching and research; research not only brings specialized knowledge but transforms the available knowledge as well.

Academic community

The research culture in a University is a dynamic one; it modifies what are regarded as the essential ideas, techniques and methods. It helps the academic community to identify the areas in which new research is necessary.

Universities, though engaged in the production of socially useful knowledge, are supplying trained researchers. It is on the basis of the above perception that an active relationship could be built between teaching and research; in other words, the teaching function is enriched through research in the relevant discipline.

It is only through a dynamic research enterprise that this Institute, specializing in Ayurveda, can obtain international recognition. Before I conclude, it is necessary to give details pertaining to the admission to Ayurvedic Institutes affiliated to Universities. (See table)

One can ask the question whether the present intake is sufficient, and it is up to the UGC to give due consideration to the request to increase the intake. There is yet another request for an Ayurveda Institute from the Eastern University; I am told that approval has been given for the establishment of a Department of Ayurveda at the University.