THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state-level Nattuvaidya March which began from Kasaragod to educate people on the need to preserve indigenous knowledge and medicine will conclude on Thursday at Parassala. The march was undertaken as a prelude to the Vaidya Maha Sabha Convention which is scheduled to take place from December 7 to 15 in Thiruvananathapuram.
The march is jointly organised by Vaidya Maha Sabha (VMS) and Janarogya Prasthanam. The thrust of the march is on preserving and transferring the repository of folk knowledge and healing methods handed down over generations to future generations which the organisers consider as an act of justice.
“Our physicians and our people possess invaluable information on medicinal plants which can be used to cure most ailments at no cost at all. This treasure trove of knowledge needs to be passed on. This is our sacred duty to the community. The march was undertaken to forge a community and educate the public on the merits and potentialities of Nattuvaidyam,” the members of the organisation has said.
According to them the choice of Parassala as the venue for the conclusion of the march was deliberate to remind oneself of the heroic determination of the local people to preserve their ancestral knowledge even against the threat of kings. The march which started from Nityananda Ashram, at Uppala, Kasaragod was flagged off by Swami Yogananda Saraswathi, head of the mutt on November 1.