Master Healers of AYUSH

In order to highlight the great work and achievements of the great Master Healers of AYUSH systems, the Union Ministry of AYUSH has planned to honor eminent scholars and practitioners in the field by releasing 12 commemorative postage stamps which were released by Hon’ble PM of India Narendra Modi. AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy) systems of healthcare form the foundation of India’s Medical Heritage. These systems are not merely the sciences of disease and drugs but have their conceptual spheres touching every aspect of life.

The stamps depict pictures of 12 Master Healers of AYUSH 1-Maharishi Mahesh Yogi 2-Hakim Mohammed Ajmal Khan 3-Vaidya Shastri Shankar Daji Pade 4-Vaidya Bhaskar Vishwanath Gokhle 5-Vaidya Bhushanam K Raghvan Thirumulpad 6-Rajvaidya Shri Brihaspati Dev Triguna 7-Dr. Babu Rajendra Lal Dutta 8-Swami Kuwalayananda 9-Hakim Mohammed Abdul Aziz Lakhnawi 10-Vaidya Yadavji Trikamji Acharya 11-Dr. Dinshaw Mehta 12-Thiru T V Sambasivam Pillai.

 

Master Healers of AYUSH

 

K Raghavan Thirumulpad

An eminent Ayurveda scholar and physician Vaidyabhooshanam K Raghavan Thirumulpad was born on 20th May 1920. A doyen in the Ayurveda firmament, Thirumulpad was known for his simple lifestyle.

Born to Ms. K. Lakshmikkutty Nambishtathiri and Mr. D. Narayana Iyer at Chingol in Alappuzha district of Kerala in 1920, Mr. Thirumulpad is one of the few purists who believe in sustaining and practicing the age-old wisdom of Ayurveda in its entirety. He gave more stress to life-style modifications in his treatment and the least importance was given to medicine. He studied Sanskrit, Tharka Shastram (Indian philosophy), Jyothisham (astrology) and Vyakaranam (grammar) under various teachers.

Raghavan Thirumulpad, a proponent of classical Ayurveda had inspired generations of Ayurveda students and symbolized a harmonious mix of ethics and rationality in the practice of medicine. On Jan 25, 2011, he was awarded Padma Bhushan posthumously, 2 months after his death. He is also among the 12 Master Healers of AYUSH to be honored with a postage stamp by the Union ministry of Ayush.

A 500 Paise (or Rs.5/-) stamp depicts the portrait of K. Raghavan Thirumulpad in the foreground. In the background, there is an Ayurvedic class/discussion being conducted in a traditional way. Also seen are Ayurvedic herbs being sorted and a bowl and pestle.

 

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was a Hindu religious leader who introduced the practice of transcendental meditation to the West. Yogi was born on the 12th of January 1917 in India. After completing a master’s degree in Physics from Allahabad University in 1940 he increasingly attracted to the spiritual life. He started rigorous yoga and meditation practice as a disciple of a highly revered yogi, Guru Dev.

He later left for the Himalayas, where for 13 years he studied under Guru Dev, the founder of TM. When Guru Dev died in 1952, the Maharishi organized a movement to spread the teachings of TM throughout the world; his first world tour took place in 1959 and brought him to the United States. He declared 1959 ‘the year of global awakening’.

The Maharishi, his family and close associates created charitable organizations and for-profit businesses including health clinics, mail-order health supplements and organic farms. His initiatives include schools and universities with campuses in several countries including India, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.

To honor him India Postal Department has issued a commemorative postage stamp in 2019. A 500 Paise (or Rs.5/-) stamp depicting Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his yoga and meditation technique

 

Hakim Mohammad Kabiruddin and Mohammad Abdul Aziz Lakhnawi

Hakim Mohammad Kabiruddin was a great writer and teacher of Unani Medicine while Hakim Mohammad Abdul Aziz Lakhnawi was an eminent philosopher-physician. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released postage stamps honoring these two prominent Unani physicians on 30th August in New Delhi. They were considered to be one of the 12 Master Healers of AYUSH systems.

Hakim Kabiruddin translated Unani Medicine textbooks from Arabic/Persian to Urdu to increase their reach and accessibility. He started a monthly magazine called Al-Masih in 1921 and set up a publishing house named ‘Daftar al-Masih’ to release his works, translate books and promote Unani Medicine. He also compiled and translated the medical syllabus of Jamia Usmania Hyderabad and was named ‘Shahanshah-e-Tasnifaat’ (Emperor of Compilations) by Nizam of Hyderabad. A 500 Paise (or Rs.5/-) stamp depicting Mohammad Kabiruddin, with images of books compiled by him and references in Urdu in the background.

Hakim Mohammad Abdul Aziz Lakhnawi belonged to the Azizi family of Unani Medicine. He established the Takmil ut-Tib College in Lucknow. Apart from teaching and medical practice, he also wrote several medical books as well. A 500 Paise (or Rs.5/-) stamp issued on Mohammad Abdul Aziz Lakhnawi. In the background are images of his school and students learning medicine.

 

Master Healers of AYUSH

 

Vaidya Shastri Shankar Daji Pade

Vaidya Shastri Shankar Daji Pade is admired for his prolific writing skills, scholarship, deep thinking and technical proficiency in Ayurveda. Throughout his life, he motivated fellow professionals to establish associations and discussion groups in Ayurveda that later lead to the world of Ayurveda Conference.

Born in 1867 to the Pade family of Deshastha Brahmins, known for their peacefulness, honesty, devotion, and noble natures, Shankar Daji Pade fully manifested these virtues. He was an Ayurveda practitioner and is accredited for the strengthening of the Ayurveda organization. He established the Nikhila Bharateeya Ayurveda Mahasammelana at Nashik.

He gives a list of 800 Ayurveda published and unpublished and books on the Rajvaidya medical journal. His efforts led to the establishment of Ayurveda College at Nagpur. He also started a monthly magazine of Ayurveda named ‘Rajvaidya’ in the year 1883 and ‘Arya-bhishak’ in 1888. Besides this, he edited a Hindi magazine ‘Sadvaidya Kaustubh’ in 1904.

A 500 Paise (or Rs.5/-) stamp depicting Shastri Shankar Daji Pade, with Ayurvedic plants and a herb grinding bowl/pestle in the background.

 

Swami Kuvalayananda

Swami Kuvalayananda was a researcher and educator who is primarily known as a pioneer scientist of Yoga or the father of Scientific Yogic Research Studies. His hard work is chiefly responsible for the worldwide spread of Yoga.

Swamiji was born on August 30, 1883, in the village Dhaboi in Gujarat state, India into a Karhade Brahmin family. He was highly influenced by Sri Aurobindo during his college days and by Paramahansa Madhavdasji, a great yogi from Bengal, later in his life. After completing his graduation, he plunged himself in Lokmanya Tilak’s Home-rule movement.

Madhavdasji guided Kuvalayananda to deal with yoga in a scientific manner. In 1924 he published the first scientific journal specifically devoted to studying yoga, Yoga Mimamsa. Most of his research took place at the Kaivalyadhama Health and Yoga Research Center at Lonavla which he founded in 1924. His influence on the development of yoga as exercise has been “profound”. It is due to his efforts that this ancient discipline of Yoga became more acceptable to the modern mind, trained on scientific and rational guidelines.

The Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India released a stamp in honor of Swami Kuvalayanandaji. Initiatives like bringing out commemorative postage stamps are not only meant to pay tribute to the great contributions of visionaries like Swami Kuvalayananda but also aim at inspiring the younger generation to follow in their footsteps. A 500 Paise (or Rs.5/-) stamp depicting Swami Kuvalayananda. In the background is an image of the chakras of the spinal cord and a person practicing his style of yoga.

 

T.V. Sambasivam Pillai

T.V. Sambasivam Pillai was the acclaimed author who is considered as one of the great treasures of the Siddha system. He spent his entire life contributing and deciphering the ancient literature of the Siddha system.

T.V. Sambasivam Pillai was born on 19th September 1880 in Bangalore. He hailed from a non-affluent family from a village named Kamuganchenthangudi near Tanjore and later migrated to Bangalore in search of greener pastures.

The name, ‘T.V.Sambasivam Pillai’ is very familiar among the practitioners of Siddha Medical System. His selfless dedication and contribution lead to the publication of the Tamil English Cyclopaedic Dictionary of Medicine to the Indian system of Medicine. It is deemed as one of the greatest treasures to the system that provides vast and accurate information about Plants, Minerals, Metals, and Animals used in the Siddha system to whoever seeks for deep information.

Tribute to his dedication, aspiration, devotion, and sacrifice for the Siddha system of Medicine, India Postal department has issued a commemorative stamp of 5 Rupees in the series of Master Healers of AYUSH. A 500 Paise (or Rs.5/-) stamp depicting T.V.Sambasivam Pillai. In the background are “Tamra-Patra leaves” on which ancient Indian texts/writings were recorded.

 

Yadavji Trikam Ji Acharya

Yadav Ji Trikam Ji Acharya is one of the personalities figuring in the commemorative set. Yadav Ji was a bright luminary and successful practitioner of Ayurveda. Recognizing the lack of authentic editions of Ayurveda treatises, he founded the Ayurveda Granthmala Trust. The more than 40 books that published embody his scholarship and practical experience. In appreciation of his meritorious work, Govt of India appointed his as the first Principal of Post Graduate Teaching Centre in Ayurveda, Jamnagar in 1956.

A 500 Paise stamp depicting Yadavji Trikam Ji Acharya. In the background is the Ayurveda Teaching Centre he helped create, Ayurvedic books published by him, Ayurvedic texts and an image of him when younger.

Ayurveda and yoga represent the great age-old traditions of our country. Every Indian family follows the components of these systems in some or the other ways to achieve well being. Further, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy, Naturopathy and other types of traditional knowledge are also well accepted by Indian communities. India Post has issued all together 12 commemorative stamps honoring the contribution of 12 modern masters in the field of traditional Indian systems of medicine and yoga who are from the Department of AYUSH.  The main motive behind the series Master Healers of AYUSH is to celebrate their unsung legacy.

The Mintage World Team comprises of experts, researchers and writers from the field of Philately, Notaphily and Numismatics who try to shed light on some of the most interesting aspects of coins, banknotes and stamps from not just India but across the globe as well.

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