Indian experts to teach Ayurveda in US schools

In a bid to make alternative medicine more popular in the US, Indian experts may soon start teaching medical students about Ayurveda in some of America's best colleges.

"The proposal is in the pipeline. We want to make Indian alternative medicine more popular in the west," Shiv Basant, joint secretary in the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy told PTI.

The ayurveda experts are likely to take a short course for the US medical students under the Complementary Alternative Medicine in 16 colleges. Basant said for the past two years they have initiated international exchange programmes to promote India's traditional medicinal system.

"For the past two years in Connecticut our experts have been teaching medical students and graduates about alternative medicines. This programme would be an extension," he said.

Navin Shah, who is the founder and past president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in the US and who has been trying to promote this programme, said that as India has not been able to advocate their alternative system, Chinese and Koreans are benefiting in America. Shah, a famous urologist based in Washington DC and who was in Delhi in connection with the programme, said he has already attended a meeting of 16 college deans and their representatives at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC on the matter.

"There is tremendous interest on the subject. Interest has also been shown by American medical students and graduates to come to India and take a one-year course in Ayurveda," he said. Shah said the National Health Institute has shown interest for a joint Indo-US research on Ayurveda. "They are ready to fund the research. It will be a great thing for India," he said.

He said students, faculty members and graduates of four colleges of Wasghinton DC, four of New York, two of Baltimore, and three each of Philadelphia and Boston would be attending the ayurveda classes.

"The only condition we have stipulated is that these experts should be able to scientifically validate that they have been able to cure the diseases," he said. The students would not be charged any fees for attending the classes, he said. "For the first time, we will not charge them. Maybe later, we would do that, but it is yet to be decided," he said. He said they are yet to decide about the two experts. "In America, the concept is now to heal mind-body-and soul and this could be done through ayurveda," he said.

Shah said the classes might encourage many American graduates to come to India and learn the craft." "They could be great potential clientele for India," he said.