NASYA, the National Ayurveda Students and Youth Association, is the largest youth organisation for Ayurveda in India. A national movement for Ayurveda, NASYA was founded on December 20, 2008, during the 3rd World Ayurveda Congress in Jaipur. It was formed to bring students and youth of Ayurveda together to do research, practice and propagate the traditional Indian system of medicine. Registered as a society as well as a trust, it has over 5,000 lifetime members from 22 states so far. Its units are functioning in 16 states.
Round the year, NASYA carries out clinical-based activities at the international, national, and state levels in association with the Ministry of AYUSH, CCRAS (Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences), CCIM (Central Council of Indian Medicine), FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry), NIA (National Institute of Ayurveda, University of Jaipur), and other organisations of repute, such as the WAF (World Ayurveda Foundation), LPU (Lovely Professional University), Yogashala Yoga School, SDSP (Shri Dhanwantari Sevabhavi Pratishthan), Patanjali Yogpeeth, Nanal Research Foundation, and Nirog Street.
NASYA is primarily a Vijnana Bharati initiative for Ayurveda. It was conceptualised with a vision to help the Ayurveda students and youth become adept clinicians, scholars, and researchers. It aims to instil knowledge and confidence in them. NASYA believes that the youth empowered by appropriate knowledge and information would be able to mainstream this Indian traditional medicine into the healthcare system.
No doubt, it has become the voice of the Ayurveda youth over the course of time and grown as a platform for the Ayurveda lovers who come from different fields, such as Pharmacy, Engineering, and Management. Its members are mostly young and they are full of zeal and passion to promote, evolve and take Ayurveda to the heights it deserves.
NASYA has accomplished laurels in a number of states for organising unique, concept-based academic events. Such activities and events build a closely knit community of Ayurveda students and contribute to their academic and overall development.
The main objective of NASYA is to revitalise Ayurveda’s dormant branches or streams by integrating and coordinating the scattered yet widespread systems of Ayurveda. It aims to help the Ayurveda students and youth imbibe and follow Ayurveda and its ancient yet complete treatment techniques well. We also strive to promote the Ayurveda way of lifestyle by creating awareness about its philosophy and effectiveness for sound health.
To make Ayurveda the primary healthcare choice for the society-at- large is also envisioned in the objectives laid down in our charter of goals. It entails the following aspects:
● Awareness and exemplary practice of Ayurvedic Qualitative Lifestyle by upliftment of ātmavijJān in the purview of prasanna-ātmanendriya-mana.
● To help raise the basic standards of Ayurvedic students in all the three areas, i.e., academic, clinical and research arenas through prescribed textual methods.
● To equip Ayurvedic students for developing clinical competence to follow the complete and holistic Ayurvedic approach of treatment.
● To reach out to the common people and serve them by building up
infrastructure for Ayurveda, like cultivation of medicinal plants, setting up of primary clinics, etc.
NASYA aims to unite all the students of various Ayurveda colleges. This will empower them to solve their obstacles and dilemmas. The organisation also arranges for imparting practical knowledge to students to make them a successful Vaidya. For this, eminent and experienced practitioners are invited to share their experiences and knowledge with students. From time-to-time, training sessions are held with these Gurus. Satellite sessions are also held for distant students. Different career prospects after BAMS are discussed with the youth. NASYA attempts to bring out the best of the age-old Guru-Shishya Parampara.
Besides these, NASYA also arranges various health camps to help the
underprivileged patients.
In a nutshell, NASYA has been delivering on what it has committed itself to. We’re proud of our dedicated, farsighted fraternity which understands the significance of a medical science as pure and natural as Ayurveda. Prevention, not just the cure, is what we can achieve by believing equally and strongly in the holistic and rich concepts of Ayurveda. Ayurveda students and youth have our complete support for knowledge, guidance, updates, training, and counselling. It is time to come together as the flag bearers of wellness and claim the general health for the whole society, something that has always been at an arm’s length only if we could understand and follow it enough.
NASYA has recently initiated a national movement, called the Ayushkaameeya Abhiyan, with a vision to rescue mankind from the clutches of COVID-19, and offer all possible support to the country’s health infrastructure during these testing times. Online consultation has been planned, to be offered by 1500+ Vaidyas from more than 20 states of the country, who have been registered by circulating a Google form on social media extensively. The credentials of all the Vaidyas have been verified and state-wise lists have been drafted.
Online consultation would be applicable only to mild and moderate cases of COVID-19. Guidelines laid by the Ministry of AYUSH and the ICMR are strictly being followed, with value additions of experiences of eminent Vaidyas of the country. Treatment protocols and case record forms have been drafted to maintain uniformity of the large scale data, being generated through this extensive exercise. Well-defined training modules have been created to train Vaidyas online in two phases, for two groups in five identified zones viz. the Central, North, South, East and West. The clinical phase is being covered by master trainers shortlisted for five zones, who have taken sessions on treatment protocols. Details of master trainers are:
1. North Zone: Dr Preeti Chhabra, Patron NASYA; Director, Shri Krishna Super Speciality Institute of Ayurveda, Janakpuri, New Delhi
2. South Zone: Dr Prasad Pandkar (PhD, MD), Professor, Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune; Chief Consultant at Research and Development wing of Shri Vishwavatee Ayurveda Hospital & Research Center, Kolhapur
3. Central Zone: Dr Anuj Jain, Director of Vishwadhyas Chikitsalay & Panchkarm Center, Gwalior
4. East Zone: VD Raman Ranjan, NASYA India Vice President; Assistant Professor, Government Ayurvedic College and Hospital, Patna
5. West Zone: Dr Bhavdeep Ganatra, NEC Member of NASYA; Ayurveda Consultant & Founder of Ganatra Ayurveda & Panchkarma Clinic, Ahmedabad
The second IT phase will be taken up by Danyush Infotech, where in training will be imparted to upload the details of the patients, personal and clinical. This will facilitate to generate a large data, pertaining to the clinical trial of Ayurvedic medicines in the management of COVID-19. Catchy creatives have been designed and floated on social media, displaying a toll free number and personal numbers of Vaidyas, who have volunteered to offer free consultation to patients. This has been done, so that the patients can easily access the Vaidya from their respective state. These creatives have also been circulated by the Vaidyas to their patients and family groups. The patients can choose to contact a Vaidya directly or through the toll free number.
After the consultation, the Vaidya has been given the liberty dispense the medicines (if the patient demands) or guide him to purchase from any Ayurvedic store approachable by the patient.
NASYA has also planned to offer backend support to all Vaidyas, if they have any issue in treating the patients, by an expert panel of senior Vaidyas.
This movement has been strongly supported by the parent organisation VIBHA & World Ayurveda Foundation. It has been planned to distribute a self-immunity enhancing welcome kit to each Vaidya registered with the Ayushkaameeya Abhiyan enthusiastically offering selfless service to the nation.
Besides, NASYA is coming up with one more project, called Kumarkalyanam. There are speculations about the third wave of COVID-19 likely to affect children and pregnant women as these are groups which are still unvaccinated. Ayurveda with its robust Mother-Child health practices is widely acceptable especially in terms of immuno-enhancement and health promotion. Kumarkalyanam is an awareness campaign to project the immuno-enhancement and health promotion measures especially in paediatric age groups among the masses through multi-media in which Ayurveda students, PG and Phd scholars, practitioners and medical officers are involved in designing messages in the form of attractive videos, blogs, slogans/taglines and posters. There are seven broad thematic areas, which have been decided upon for focus under this campaign:
1. Ayurvedic Dincharya: Health promoting and immunity boosting self-care practices among children between five and 18 years of age.
2. Ritucharya: Seasonal wellness and protection against seasonal disorders.
3. ACAB: Ayurvedic COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour.
4. Suvarnprashan Jeevan Bindu: ‘My Dose Immunity’ and wellness.
5. Yoga and Pranayama Kavach: Holistic health and wellness through Yoga.
6. Kumar Poshan-Desh Roshan: ‘My Dietary Armour’ for good health.
7. Achara Rasayana and Sadvrut: Health discipline for children.
These areas will be highlighted through social media and other media so that the public adopts Ayurvedic self-health care models to safeguard Gen Next against COVID-19.
