Kolhapur: Udand Jahle Bhondu… Say, we are Nami Vaidu! | leader

Kolhapur; Sunil Kadam: Konkanpatta along with Kolhapur district is famous for Ayurvedic or indigenous medicine. There are many renowned families and professionals in this area who have been carrying on the business of Ayurvedic medicine for generations through traditional knowledge and practice. However, in the last few years, it seems that the game of banvabanvi has started in the name of Ayurvedic or indigenous medicines all over the state. It needs to be thoroughly investigated.

The sudden death of a husband and wife after taking Ayurvedic medicine for diabetes four days ago has taken place in the village of Vadangay near Kolhapur. Similar or different incidents are seen happening in every corner of Maharashtra. Incidents of this nature are the epitome of a hoax by some bogus doctors in the name of Ayurvedic medicine.

In the last few years, Ayurvedic treatment methods and herbs have been gaining a lot of acceptance around the world. 315 different types of herbs are found in the vast forests on the foothills of the Sahyadri. Local people are seen making medicinal and commercial use of these herbs based on traditional knowledge. Due to the popularity of Ayurvedic medicines, the global herbal trade has increased four hundred times in the last few years. As a result, the price of herbs has increased by 700 times globally in the last ten years. The export of domestic herbs has also gone up to 450 crore rupees annually.

In order to take advantage of this worldwide popular base for herbal or Ayurvedic medicines, a bumper crop of bogus Ayurvedic Vaidu Mandals has sprung up in many villages of the state in the last few years. Thousands of people who don’t even have the slightest knowledge of herbs or Ayurvedic medicines are seen setting up desi, herbal or Ayurvedic medicine shops in the very streets. The business of these congregations is to collect some herb from the local people of Kolhapur or Konkan Patta region and market it on Sangiwangi knowledge. Who gives some colored water for some disease, who gives leaves, flowers, bark or roots of some tree, who claims to eradicate any disease by giving some kind of powder, then the whole game seems to be going on. There is no one’s fear or control over these hypocrite vaidubas, so it seems that their business is going on indiscriminately.

Nowadays, due to the game of cut-practice in the medical profession, climbing the hospital ladder is beyond the reach of the poor and the common man. Therefore, such congregations easily fall into the trap of these bogus Vaidu congregations and get trapped. Moreover, if any harm is caused by these hypocrite Vaidyas, there is no facility to ask for a complaint from anyone. Therefore, it is necessary for the government to break the backs of these bhodu vaidus who are setting up shops of indigenous, herbal or ayurvedic medicines in every village.

80 thousand Ayurvedic doctors in the state!

According to the statistics with the Maharashtra Council of Indian Medicine, there are more than 80 thousand doctors practicing Ayurvedic and Unani medicine in the state. Interestingly, nearly 20,000 of these Ayurvedic doctors have not renewed their medical practice licenses for various reasons. One of the many reasons for not renewing, shockingly, is that their medical business is not viable. It must be understood as a paradox that those who have studied for years and obtained degrees in Ayurvedic medicine, their businesses are not functioning and on the other hand fake vaidu shops are flourishing.