Ayurveda, one of the world's oldest and holistic traditional systems of Medicine, dates back thousands of years. It is rooted in the belief that achieving balance in the body, mind and spirit is crucial for overall health. Ayurveda focuses on maintaining this equilibrium through natural remedies, personalized diets, lifestyle adjustments and herbal treatments. Ayurveda also offers one of the world’s most comprehensive cleansing protocols known as Panchakarmas that help eliminate toxins accumulated in the body thereby curing chronic diseases.

The 9th National Ayurveda Day, to be observed on October 29th this year, is an annual observance dedicated to promoting Ayurveda, the traditional system of medicine. The event is utilised to educate people about the principles of Ayurveda, its therapies, and how it can be integrated into modern healthcare. This year the theme of the event is ‘Ayurveda Innovation for Global Health’ focussing on promotion of Ayurveda as ‘a leader of Traditional Medicines’ at the international level through various researches and innovations.

The Government of India has taken multiple steps to promote Ayurveda through multi-institutional collaborations. The Ministry of AYUSH (MoA) is an apex authority to promote research and development of Ayurveda and Yoga globally. The Centres of Excellence working under the flagship of the Ministry of AYUSH like AIIA, New Delhi, NIA, Jaipur, ITRA, Jamnagar, CCRAS etc. are working with the vision to expand the horizon of research in Ayurveda and its evidence-based translation. The Ministry has also collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) which resulted in publishing WHO benchmarks for Training in Ayurveda and benchmarks for practice of Ayurveda. The WHO has also established Global Traditional Medicine Centre (WHO-GTMC) at Jamnagar, Gujarat.

This traditional system of medicine has been widely practised in South Asian countries. As an outcome of initiatives taken by the Ministry, 24 countries; including WHO, Turkmenistan, Germany, Mauritius etc.; have recognised Ayurveda as an official system of Medicine. AYUSH academic Chairs have been established in many of these countries. Ayurveda products are also exported to more than l00 countries across the world.

During the visit of Honorable Prime Minister of India H.E. Narendra Modi to Turkmenistan in July 2015, a ‘Yoga & Traditional Medicine Centre’– the first of its kind in Central Asia- was inaugurated at the sports complex “Bagtyyarlyk”, Ashgabat to promote and propagate Yoga and Ayurveda in the country. An Ayurveda expert has also been deputed by the AYUSH ministry since 2018 to provide free Ayurvedic consultation to the people of Turkmenistan and to deliver lectures on Ayurveda at the State Medical University in Ashgabat.

Government of India announces ICCR Scholarship Slots under AYUSH scholarship program for every academic year. Interested citizens can apply for Undergraduate, Postgraduate and doctoral courses in AYUSH disciplines related to Ayurveda, Yoga, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy in various Indian Universities/ Institutes. The scholarship includes tuition fees, living and housing allowance, contingency funds, dissertation expenses and airfare.

The Embassy of India in Turkmenistan has also published a book titled ‘Ayurveda and Yoga: Ancient Treasure of Health’ written by the Ayurveda Expert, Dr Ramrao D Patil. This illustrious and handy reference book published in Russian would help the locals to understand the principles of Ayurveda and Yoga and avail their benefits to improve the health of body and mind.

The Embassy of India invites all the citizens of Turkmenistan to join the Celebration Ayurveda Day 2024 and also take benefits of free Ayurveda consultations being offered by the Ayurveda Expert at the premises of Embassy of India and Yoga & Traditional Medicine Centre, Ashgabat.

The Embassy of India in Turkmenistan