A lot of ink has flown over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and there have been reports of dramatic in- crease in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as per a recent Economic Survey. However, my two months long stay at The Arya Vaidya Chikitsalayam & Research Institute (AVCRI), Mavuthampathy, Navakkarai, Coimbatore, in Tamil Nadu, made me realise that the‘Make in India’ potential in the area of medical tourism is equally powerful and so would tweak it a bit to say that ‘Med in India’ could also be an equally potent aspect of Modi’s initiative.
The well-known Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala and other Ayurvedic treatment centres in Kerala are success brands in themselves and are already well-known all over the world. In fact one has to book three to four months in advance to get treatment in these health centres. The AVCRI centre at Navakkarai, where I stayed is owned by doctors and run by staff from Kerala.
I had a ringside view of how India is a great attraction for the world to seek medical treatment, particularly Ayurvedic. While many of us Indians are cynical about the Ayurvedic method of treatment, people from innumerable countries come all the way to our country to heal with our renowned ancient ‘ pathy ’ which is 5000 years old and which lays emphasis on natural cure and wellness through nature’s bounty. At the AVCRI centre, there were patients from USA, UK, Slovakia, Malaysia, Singapore, Poland and so on. The reason for their sojourn here was to counter deadly lifestyle diseases like cancer, mental illness amongst others, for which most of us look to the Western line of medicine, Allopathy. Each one of them had only good things to say about Ayurveda and the Ayurvedic treatment. They felt it is very effective as well as cost-effective. Not one of them criticised it.
For many years, pain in one of my leg was troubling me. Since it became too painful for me to bear, so much so that I was not able to walk, I decided to go in for Ayurvedic treatment. Since I could not get an appointment with the chief doctor, a well-wisher of mine namely, Dr Durai Kumar, of Ramachandra Hospital in Chennai, I had to find an alternative arrangement. One of my students recommended the renowned AVCRI centre and that’s how I landed there for a two month long treatment. I was obese too and managed to shrug off 15 kgs by the time I finished my treatment. I was impressed at this world class centre, located in a remote village very close to Kerala and which attracts mostly foreigners. In fact, I was amongst the very few Indian patients there. It has excellent doc- tors, good administration, conducive environment, effective treatment, motherly approach and fatherly concern.
Doctors there advised me that for all pains, the best treatment is to get Vitamin D directly from the sun. They stated in no uncertain terms that I must sit in the sun for one full hour every day as this would take care of most of my problems. Otherwise, they warned me, they would be unable to make me well. So, I used to take a walk on the tar road outside the premises, with a lungi around me and no shirt on. The centre was located in a remote village very close to Kerala, so there are hardly any people. That gives you a lot of freedom to be yourself and being a farmer’s son, I was happy strolling around the trees, with birds chirping around.
One day, as I was taking my stroll, I saw a lot of foreigners, gathered in one place. They were talking in soft tones with each other. I passed by them and carried on with my walk but when I returned after one hour, I still saw them there, with anxiety, writ large on their faces. Out of curiosity, I approached them. I asked them, what the matter was. Pointing out to a couple who seemed in distress, they narrated that the duo had gone on a tour to Kerala and had lost their passports. In order to get their visa, they needed to file a FIR. However, the Kerala police asked them to go to the place where they are staying presently and the local police here have asked them to lodge a FIR in the place where the passports were lost. Hence, they were in a fix. I deeply admired the fact that they all had come together to help their friends in distress. I said to myself let me help them. I called up a Tamil Nadu friend who happened to be from Coimbatore. I introduced myself on the phone. He was so surprised that coincidentally I was in his town that he said, “I am coming there right now.’’ He promptly came and I explained the problem. I had also called the editor of the famous weekly Tamil magazine, ‘ Nakkeeran’ , to intervene and the matter was resolved. They all were happy and heaved a sigh of relief. Suddenly, they all wanted to know who I was. They wondered who is this man with a lungi , beard and so influential. When I told them I am a professor, their regard for me went up a notch higher as they have immense respect for academicians and scholars.
"I had a ringside view of how India is a great attraction for the world to seek medical treatment, particularly Ayurvedic "
During my sojourn, many of them became my friends. Elizabeth Tosha from USA, Zuzana Ulicna and Vicen Evan from Slovakia, Fransesca Sheldon from France, Satuntala from Malaysia, to name a few. They would come and discuss their problems with me. I used to have a peg or two of whiskey in the evening but there was no one to stop me, as I had suddenly gained VIP status, thanks to the visit of my Tamil Nadu friend. I used to offer a drink to my newly made friends but they would decline, as it did not fall in the line of treatment.
I was amazed at the dedication and honesty of all the foreigners who were here. They were following the doctor’s regime to the last point. They are hardcore non-vegetarians but here they were on a strict vegetarian diet and they were loving it. Sometimes I used to order a non-veg curry from outside and when I offered them, they would say ‘no’ candidly and were wee bit aghast at my offer. Their discipline and their complete faith in the treatment was notable.
One of the patients, Elizabeth Tosha was a very nice and gentle lady. She had undergone a cancer operation and was here for further treatment. She was a bit disappointed with her husband and was narrating her story to me. I came to know that she was contemplating second marriage. She was an American who had migrated to France. There was friction in her family and her father went in for a second marriage. This had turned her against him. Her mother had left her a good fortune. I asked her whether she has spoken to her father. She said, no; she hates him. I urged her time and again to speak to her father and finally she did so. She used to come and see me during lunch and dinner time.
" My point here is that, the Government should look into this aspect of ‘Make in India.’ I don’t have the latest figures but as per a 2010 news report in NBC, foreign tourists seeking Ayurvedic cure numbered over six lakh per year. It must have further grown by now. So, one can imagine the potential of making this a strong arm of ‘Make in India"
Fransesca Sheldon was a young, uneducated British girl. Frustrated with parental conflict, she tried to commit suicide in London. She had come here to get treated for her psychological distress. She used to come and meet me twice a day and would tell me how frustrated she was due to her domestic conflicts. I tried my best to counsel her, in a friendly way. I tried to make her feel that someone cares for her by telling her in a lighter vein that I am very fond of her. I tried to enhance her self-esteem by telling her how beautiful she is and that she should use it to build up positivism and confidence within her. She would get embarrassed at these compliments, which I generously showered, from time to time. The idea was to bring her out of depression. As I got to know her, I realised that her problem had much to do with her childhood filled with disturbed memories of parental conflict. However, I was delighted to have achieved in changing her disposition towards life. Or so I believed. For, the girl who used to initially only cry all the time, began cracking jokes and laughing aloud. To me, this was a sign that she was feeling liberated and looking ahead positively. When I was leaving the hospital, she was bitterly crying. I too became very emotional, hugged and told her that I would meet her in London and she should be my guide there. She embraced me to gesture her assurance.
After returning to Pune, my life got busy as usual and I did not keep in touch with her. Very recently, when I dialled my American friend’s phone number, she gave me the shocking news that the British girl is no more; she had committed suicide. I was not able to sleep for more than a month.
Another case was of a mother from France, who had been successfully treated here earlier and brought her 40-year-old daughter for treatment for some serious ailment. Her daughter was treated in France but without any success. And then the mother had brought her to this Ayurvedic centre in a very critical stage, which she should not have done. But her faith in the centre was such that she risked the long journey. However, the daughter died, even before starting the treatment. I am quoting this incident just to highlight the faith the foreigner had in our Ayurvedic treatment.
Once again, all the foreigners came together, contem- plating whether her body should be taken back to France or they should cremate her, here itself. They sought my advice; I told them it was futile to take the body back to France. There was a common consensus and she was cre- mated in Coimbatore.
My point here is that, the Government should look into this aspect of ‘Make in India.’ I don’t have the latest figures but as per a 2010 news report in NBC, foreign tourists seeking Ayurvedic cure numbered over six lakh per year. It must have further grown by now. So, one can imagine the potential of making this a strong arm of ‘Make in India.’
DR(COL) A.Balasubramanian
