National Ayurveda Day is annually observed across India aimed at generating awareness among people about health issues as well as the potential role of Ayurveda in their prevention and treatment.
The day is observed on Dhanwantri Jayanthi or Dhanteras, the festival honouring Dhanvantari, the Hindu God of Ayurveda.
- “Dhanteras” is made up of 2 words “Dhan” which means wealth and “Teras” which means “13”.
- The day is observed on the 13th day of Krishna Paksha in the month of Ashwin as per the Hindu calendar.
The National Ayurveda Day 2023 falls on 10 November 2023 and marks the observance of the 8th National Ayurveda Day.
- National Ayurveda Day 2022 was observed on 23rd October 2022 and National Ayurveda Day 2021 was observed on 2nd November 2021.
The focal theme for Ayurveda Day 2023 is, “Ayurveda for One Health” with the tagline ‘Ayurveda for everyone on every day’ (Har din har kisi ke liye Ayurveda) focusing on the human-animal-plant-environment interface.
Background:
i.The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) announced Dhanvantari Jayanti, also called Dhanteras, as national Ayurveda day in 2016 intending to further promote Ayurveda into the mainstream.
ii.The initiative is supported by the Ministry of Ayush, and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
iii.The first ever National Ayurveda Day was observed in India on the 28th October 2016.
Observance of 2023:
i.In 2023, National Ayurveda Day was set to be celebrated on a global scale across 100 countries, advocating the global campaign of ‘Ayurveda for One Health’.
- With the global message of ‘Ayurveda for One Health’, this campaign was successfully run for a month not only in India but across the world.
ii.The central theme of ‘Ayurveda for One Health‘ should revolve around 3 key pillars: ‘Ayurveda for students, Ayurveda for farmers, and Ayurveda for public health,’ with a resounding message of ‘Ayurveda for everyone every day.’
- The theme is in alignment with the theme of India’s G20 Presidency ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.
Objective:
The core objective of Ayurveda Day is to take Ayurveda to the global level and make it a part of common people’s lifestyle, establishing it as a global resource for the well-being of humans, animals, plants, and the environment.
What is Ayurveda?
i.Derived from Sanskrit, ‘Ayurveda’ combines ‘Ayu’ (Life) and ‘Veda’ (Knowledge/Science).
ii.Rooted in rich Indian culture, Ayurveda is a holistic medicinal system.
iii.Ayurveda received recognition as a traditional medicine system by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Ayurveda for One Health Campaign:
i.It is a month-long global campaign organized by the Ministry of Ayush with the message ‘Ayurveda for One Health’ from 10th October to 9th November 2023.
- The campaign was unveiled by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ayush on 10 October 2023.
- The concluding cermony of the campaign was held in Panchkula, Haryana on 9th & 10th November 2023.
ii.The campaign’s digital presence resounded in about 90 countries, reflecting its far-reaching influence.
iii.The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), the nodal agency for organizing ‘Ayurveda Day’, has developed a micro website www.ayurvedaday.org.in to connect people from all over the world with the campaign through this website.
2023 Events:
i.Union Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Union Minister of State for Ayush, Munjpara Mahendrabhai, took part in a conference held in the context of the 8th National Ayurveda Day.
- Along with the conference, the ‘Ayurveda Mahaparva’ expo and review meeting of the National Ayush Mission (NAM) of 8 states was also organized.
iii.The main function of the 8th Ayurveda Day was held at Indradhanush Auditorium, Panchkula on the occasion of Dhanvantari Day (10 November 2023).
About Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH):
Union Minister– Sarbananda Sonowal (Rajya Sabha Assam)
Minister of State– Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai (Constituency- Surendranagar, Gujarat)
