PK Warrier, trustee of Arya Vaidya Sala talks about ayurveda’s healing powers and its commercialisation.
“Everybody is living a fast life, but nobody wants a fast death,” says PK Warrier, the 85-year-old (young at heart) managing trustee of Kottakkal-based Arya Vaidya Sala. His advice to those living in the fast lane is to take a pause and allow their bodies to rejuvenate. “The human body has the amazing capability of healing itself, but you need to give it time,” adds the Padmashri Award recipient, who is on a three-day visit to the city to address ayurveda physicians and to oversee the operations of Mumbai’s only Vaidya Sala branch in Matunga.
The octogenarian is a walking testimonial to the virtues of living the simple life, and imbibing the principles of ayurveda. “As modern lifestyles give rise to newer diseases, ayurveda’s ancient principles are becoming more relevant. Ayurveda is particularly effective in controlling geriatric ailments and lifestyle diseases, since it heals the root cause of the illness, without affecting the rest of the body,” says Warrier.
Warrier is credited with developing Arya Vaidya Sala into a globally-renowned institution of alternative medicine over the past 50 years. His charitable institution provides free aid to more than 8 lakh people annually, and treats patients from about 41 countries who queue up for treatment at the Kottakkal facility. “One should do everything in moderation for a healthy life,” say Warrier, who gets up at 4:00am, exercises for an hour, visits the temple, eats only fruits for breakfast and puts in about 10 hours at the hospital everyday.
Ask him about the increasing popularity of the wide rang of ayurvedic treatments in Kerala, and Warrier cautions: “These five-star hotels and so-called spas have turned ayurveda into a money-spinning proposition. Ayurveda is for treatment, not entertainment. Even the most basic treatment takes no less than one month and these packages promise to change the life of a person in one hour,” he says.
Warrier adds that despite being approached by various hotel chains, his institution has not tied up with any of them. “When I have a huge waiting list of genuine patients at my hospital, why should I entertain tourists, just to make money,” Warrier says.
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