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Dr. P K Warrier Managing Trustee, Chief Physician AVS Kottakkal
Padmashri Dr. P K Warrier, Managing Trustee, Chief Physician of Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala leading the institution for more than half a century, recently celebrated Navathy, which was held on Sunday at PM Auditorium in Chankuvetty. The Navathi celebrations was inaugurated by Union minister of State Mullappaly Ramachandran. The Arya Vaidya Sala recently celebrated its centenary, which is yet another significant milestone.
Describing eminent ayurvedic physician Dr P K Warrier as a revolutionary socialist, Mullappally recalled Warrier’s early days when his affinity for socialism made him one of the pioneering members of the Student Federation, and his strong opposition to fascism and war. “Since Warrier turned to full-scale medical service, Kerala politics lost an incomparable personality who always sticks to truth,” he added.
“Dr Warrier nurtured a perspective of holistic approach with due respect for other systems of medicine,” he added. Mullappally also lauded his contributions to the medical literature. He mentioned how the hospital conserves and maintains rare medicinal plants at one of the largest medicinal plantations in the country.
People from far and near visit the Arya Vaidya Sala at Kottakkal including those from European countries, Middle-East, USA, and South-East Asia for various purposes such as research, treatment, learning etc. As years passed, access to Arya Vaidya Sala has been made easier with its operations expanding to other parts of the country, and has its presence in major Indian cities like New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Coimbatore.
In recognition to his outstanding contributions to the popularity and advancement of ayurveda, Dr. P. K. Warrier has been honoured with many awards and distinctions. He is the recipient of the coveted national honour ‘Padmashri’ instituted by the Government of India. Other notable awards and recognitions include the International Bhoopalman Singh Award from Nepal; the ‘Dr. Poulos Mar Gregorios Award’ for his contribution to the development of Ayurveda; the prestigious Dhanvanthari Award; and the ‘Management Leadership Award’ award instituted by Kerala Management Association (KMA).
According to Dr. P. K. Warrier, the guiding visions of Arya Vaidya Sala centers on the preservation and promotion of ayurveda by providing genuine ayurvedic medicines, treatment, education and research facilities, and sustenance of ayurvedic system of health care. An accomplished physician and one of the few authorities on ayurveda in India, Dr. Warrier is widely reckoned for his initiatives to transform the traditional approaches in the practice of ayurveda in tune with modern times. The establishments under Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala today reflect this, and is evident in the form of computerized hospital administration, state-of-the-art drug manufacturing units, modern dispatch method for medicines, setting up of herbal gardens, establishment of research and development wing etc.
Dr. P. K. Warrier is well aware of the need for modern ayurveda research. He believes that this should have the involvement of necessary materials and methods of both modern medicine and ayurveda. According to this eminent physician, the primary objective should be the exploration and revalidation of the inherent strengths of ayurveda for the benefit of humanity.
Dr. Warrier is no doubt a visionary ayurveda physician, and has firm aspirations, with a focus primarily on research and development, augmentation of medicinal plant cultivation and continuation of the work on health care. Besides this, taking ayurveda to the status of principal health care system all over the world is his personal goal, and his altruistic efforts in the past and the present are clear indications towards this goal.
Honors / awards
Dr. P.K. Warrier, a fellow of Academy of Indian Medicine, is the recipient of many honours in the national and international level.
The All India Ayurvedic conference gave him the title of Ayurveda Maharshi in 1997.
The President of India bestowed on him the title of ‘Padmashri’ at Rashtrapatibhavan on 23.3.99.
Rotary Club of Calicut gave him ‘For the Sake of Honour’ award in 1999.
The Calicut University conferred on him honorary degree of D.Litt. on 22.05.99.
Chilla Pratibha Puraskar was presented to him on 16.1.2000 by the Hon’ble Governor of Tamilnadu.
The reputed Bhoopalan Singh Karki special honour was awarded to him at a glittering function held at Kathmandu, Nepal on 15.5.2000.
He has been nominated for ‘the pioneers of health in 2000’ award by the SAAOL Health and Research Foundation, New Delhi.
The Academy of Ayurveda, Vijayawada conferred on him the ‘Millennium Gold Medal’.
He is also the recipient of the Dhanwantari Award instituted by the Dhanwantari Foundation, Mumbai for outstanding medical men. This was presented to him on 4.11.2001.
Dr. Poulose Mar Gregorios Award was awarded to him by the Rashtrapati in New Delhi on 27.11.2001.
The first Adisamman Puraskar instituted by the Academy of Ayurvedic Doctors in India was awarded to him in Calcutta on 29.11.2001.
The Kerala Management Association conferred on him the Management Leadership Award for the year 2002.
Pandit Shiv Sharma Oration Award was presented to him in Delhi on 13.2.03 by Indian Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine.
The Ernakulam Press Club honoured him by presenting
PS John Memorial Endowment Award in April 2003.
The National Association for Science and Arts (N.A.S.A.), Thiruvananthapuram, conferred on him The Sevanaratnam Award 2003 in June, 2003.
Patanjali Puraskaram instituted by the Ayurvedic Medicine Manufactures Organization was presented to him on 11.07.203.
Dr. C.P. Menon Memorial Award was awarded to him for his book Padamudrakal on 20.09.2003.
C. Achutha Menon Award was presented to him in Trissur by Achutha Menon Society for Human Action on 16.08.2004 .
Jamia Hamdard Deemed University, New Delhi conferred on him degree of D.Sc. (Honoris Cauisa) on 14.01.2005.
Honoured with Padmabhooshan in 2010.
Positions held / holding
Project Officer, Clinical Research Unit (CCRAS) at Kottakkal.
Member, Governing Body and Executive Committee of the Kerala Ayurvedic Studies and Research Society, Kottakkal.
Member, Ayurveda Advisory Committee and Committee on Drugs Control, under the Government of Kerala.
Member, Task Force on Ayurveda & Homeopathy under the State Planning Board and Kerala Bio-diversity Committee.
Member, Commission on WTO concerns in Agriculture constituted by Govt. of Kerala.
Member, Kerala State Management Association, All India Management Association, etc.
Member of the Panel of Ayurvedic and Other Systems of Medicine, constituted by the Government of India.
President of All India Ayurvedic Congress.
President, Kerala Ayurveda Mandalam.
Member of the Central Council of Indian Medicine, Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha.
Pharmacopoeia Committee member.
Member, Scientific Advisory Committee under CCRAS.
Member, Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee.
Member, Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani Drugs Technical Advisory Board under Govt. of India.
Member of the National Academy of Ayurveda, New Delhi.
Member, Standing Committee for Health, Sewerage and Water Supply and Nutrition under the State Planning Board.
Vice President of IASTAM (International Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine).
Dean, Faculty of Ayurveda & Chairman, Board of Studies in Ayurveda for the University of Calicut twice.
Member, Travancore-Cochin Medical Council.