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It is essential to sensitise the
social process for successful promotion of folk healers and
their useful
practices, since they hold the key to health security of millions. The sustainability of the effort for revitalisation
depends mainly on the stakeholders of traditional knowledge, who are
at village level the Paramparika Vaidyas and knowledgeable households. Promotion of
Taluka level Paramparika Vaidya Parishats (Associations)
all over India is one of the strategies to achieve the goal of revitalisation of
local health traditions.
The aim of the Taluka level association is to provide a forum for Paramparika Vaidyas and
household knowledge carriers to regularly meet, interact and
exchange knowledge, skills and experiences in their respective
fields. The programme also encourages training to
the younger generations by establishment of centres of excellence in
different areas of expertise of local health traditions through a
guru-shishya (teacher– student) method of partaking of knowledge and
the skills.
In Karnataka, an apex body of Paramparika Vaidya Parishat (PVP)
(Karnataka) has been constituted and registered.
So far, 10 taluka-level Paramparika Vaidya Parishats have been
registered and 14 taluka-level Paramparika Vaidya Parishats have
been constituted. Constitution of 25 more taluka-level
Paramparika Vaidya Parishats have also been initiated in various
districts.
FRLHT has been conferring Paramparika Vaidya Rathna Award to the
folk healers in recognition of their services rendered to the rural
communities in their region. The National Medicinal Plant Board, Government of India has instituted Vanaushadi Pandit
Award since
2003. Both the awards consist of a Panchaloha
Statue of Dhanawantri and a cash award of Rs. 10,000/-.
Smt. Mastammma, a tribal woman from
Hebbalahadi village, Hunsoor taluk, Mysore District, was awarded the
Paramparika Vaidya Rathna award for the year 2004-05. Mastammma has
handled more than 2000 deliveries, including many complicated cases
like breach delivery and entanglement of umbilical cord, in the
tribal areas of Hunsur Taluk. She also treats uterine prolapse,
menstrual problems, infertility, jaundice and many paediatric
conditions.
Sri Jediyappa Gowda
of Lingasugooru village was awarded the Vanaushadi Pandit award for
his outstanding contribution in the field of veterinary health. He
has saved thousands of cattle in the Raichur district and has set
aside his 230 acres of land for the development of medicinal plants
for the use of local community. |
