Ayurveda draws visitors to Kerala state July 31, 2013 Gulf Today/ by Ashraf Padanna PJ Chackochan, a grower of medicinal plants, would not flaunt himself as an expert in Ayurveda, which is a multimillion dollar business in this southwestern state of Kerala. Yet as the leader of a non-governmental organisation, the middle-aged entrepreneur is particular that a product like Chyavanprash, which emerges from his factory in the hilly Wayanad district should contain all the 47 ingredients mentioned in the texts of the ancient Indian healing system. What’s more, Chackochan is uncompromising on another tenet: the entire mixture of herbs, spices and other additives for all such products must be extracted from the organic farms that keep fertilisers and chemicals away. "If you apply chemical fertilisers to the plants, then the yield which is converted into medicine cannot be considered pure,” says the president of Vanamoolika, a community of people dedicated to organic farming. "As for Chyavanprash, it is so massively manufactured these days in factories that a chunk of it could just be jaggery. "We can’t make such compromises. "In fact, we don’t even use preservatives.” The Pulpapply-based NGO launched in 1991 has come a long way, weathering several hurdles along its activities in its farmland and beyond thanks to the state’s bustling tourism industry. "The challenges continue. Of late, they are two-pronged,” notes Chackochan, who is also executive secretary of the Organic Farmers’ Fair Trade Network. "We can’t afford to fix the prices low — on par with those of the mainstream Ayurvedic firm. Two, our marketing sing has yet to bloom to its fullest.” Piquantly, the enterprising spirit called Vanamoolika, which is linked to a string of women’s self-help groups that grow medicinal plants, faces hiccups at a time when the Kerala government is focusing on Ayurveda to woo tourists this year. "Chackochan and his people are doing a unique job. The entire team deserves applause,” says CN Anithakumari, a deputy director of Kerala Tourism, the state’s tourism board. Ayurveda helps the southern state that sends most of Indian workers to the Gulf region to attract more visitors and retain its unique position in India’s tourism map. (The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 14:58:51 +0000
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