Hyderabad: CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) Director Dr. Srinivasa Reddy announced that the India International Science Festival (IISF) 2024 will be held in Guwahati (Assam).
In his welcome address at the celebration of the 9th Ayurveda Day alongside the curtain raiser event of the IISF, here on Tuesday, Dr Srinivasa said the curtain raiser event set the stage for the main event to be held from November 30 to December 3.
This festival brings together people from scientific and non-scientific backgrounds to engage with science interactively and make it accessible to all, he said.
Since 2016, this day has been observed across India to promote Ayurveda as an integral part of our healthcare system. He said this year’s theme is ‘;Ayurveda for Global Health and Innovation’.
He stated, “India must work on acquiring evidence based data to validate the efficacy of Ayurveda practices if it wants global recognition.”
It is an attempt to bring science to the public in an engaging way; he also emphasised adopting the holistic lifestyle of our ancestors to lead healthier lives.
In his address about IISF, Dr. Mandara Deshmukh, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-
The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) spoke about the various organisations involved in organising IISF, while Dr. Saibal Das, Senior Principal Scientist, gave an introduction to IISF and the thematic events for this year.
In her keynote address on ‘the fundamental question of what Ayurveda’, the Chief Guest, Prof. (Dr.) Asmita Wele, Research Director, Dr. D.Y. Patil College of
Ayurveda and Research Centre, DPU, Pune, emphasised the need for Ayurveda and modern science to collaborate to provide enhanced care.
She shared insights from her research that combine the use of Ayurveda based natural medicines in various fields while comparing the data with standard drugs to validate the results.
The Ayurveda Day 2024 celebrations at CSIR-IICT were a step towards promoting Ayurveda among students and focusing on integrating it with modern practices for global health and innovation.