Historically and culturally speaking, India was always a health-conscious nation. Our civilization and a large amount of our rich traditions are a testimony of this historical fact. From the ancient days of pre-Ramayana period to the post-Mahabharata time, there is recorded evidence available explaining how our forefathers lived their lives all along. The rich ancient literature available with us dating back to 1,000 to 5,000 years gives us details about our standard of life and also about our view of life. It is due to these two important aspects that we gave to the world the following three Ms -Music, Mathematics & Medicine.
The richness of civilization in context of health and well being of the people of the nation can be gauged from the fact that the great seers and thinkers who had acquired a vast experience and knowledge of life produced great works on subjects like Ayurveda, Yoga, Siddha and Sanatan Shastra-vidhya. The Sanatan Shastra-vidhya comprises a variety of martial arts including Kalaripayattu, Silambam, Gatka, Lathi, Mallayudh, Mallakhambh, Varmam, Huyen Lallong, Mardani-Khel, Parikhanda, Adimurai, Thank-Ta, Inbuan, Kuttu Varisai amd Musti-Yudha. With the passage of time, all these great martial art forms developed in different areas and regions of India including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Manipur, Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar, Mizoram, Varanasi, Gandharva and Gandhaar Pradesh (currently known as Khaibar Pakhtun Khua and Afghanistan).
Archery, Sword-fighting and Gaddha-Yudha were/are recognised as a complete science of warfare, body-building and keeping the body eveready for any kind of eventuality in life. Great civilizational icons like Parshuram, Dronacharya, Kripacharya, Vishwamitra, Bhishma and Balrama were/are regarded as the unparalleled masters of these established sciences. Kashmir’s most ancient treatise called Neelmatapurana (written around 600 AD) gives references to water sports on the banks of one of the deepest lakes of Asia called Wullar. Women sports persons are specially mentioned in this context in the above said Purana. Likewise, water sports in states like Kerala and Maharashtra are also having their historical recognition and due place.
Patanjali-Yoga Sutra, Charak-Samhita, Sushustra-Samhita, Ashtang-Hardaya, Bhela-Samhita, Maadav-Nidaan, Sharang-Samhita and Bhava-Prakash are the great works on Yoga, medicine, surgery and well being of a human body and mind. Music and Natya-shastra (various forms of dance) were/are also followed as the accomplished sciences to keep body, mind and intellect refreshing, revitalizing and stimulating. They surpass the material world eventually and have the potential to take a human being beyond the material attachments to the spiritual arena of complete bliss and “anand”.
Unfortunately, over the past 700 odd years, we as a people lost our way as a civilizational great health-conscious nation. The reasons were many but their root cause was socio-political instability and foreign occupancy and influences. However, we are now out of those tumultuous and despotic times. People in general, the masters of their fields and the respective institutions have again found their way and we are surely developing now as a health-conscious nation, beyond doubt.
This author had an opportunity over the last three years to visit and live in various states and Union Territories of our country. These included Jammu and Kashmir, UP, Maharashtra, Haryana, Gujarat and Delhi. As a rigorous morning walker and a practitioner of yoga-asana teachings and activity, after the Covid19 epidemic, I followed my routine activity religiously regardless of my geographical locations. In fact being a wanderer by choice, it provided this author an opportunity to study the developing scenario in this context from close quarters and with a sense of affinity. What I observed was/is that our nation Bharat is changing very fast in a number of fields and the field of health consciousness is surely one of them.
I got the opportunity to visit various public parks, gymnasium pitches established in parks, walkers-pathways, meditation and yoga centres and also some special health check-up camps. These included Lohan Park at Paloura-Jammu (nearest to my home in Jammu), Bal Thakre Park at Kandivali in Mumbai, Riverfront Park in Palava-Dombivli, New Mumbai, famous NaMo Park in Thane-Mumbai, walkers pathways-Pune, gymnasium pitches in a number of parks in Delhi that have been developed by the local municipal corporations, Adarsh Park in Vasundhara, Ghaziabad-UP, a few parks in Faridabad-Haryana and also the long and wide pathways in Ahmedabad-Gujarat. In Srinagar, Kashmir there is also a perceptible shift in the minds of the people in this regard despite weather uncertainties in the valley.
On the basis of my study and experience, the first major change that I found is that the volume of the public taking part in the health oriented activity has drastically increased. This increase is being seen as a post-Covid19 development as well. The participation in these activities is inclusive of all age groups, both men and women and even people with minor and major physical challenges. There is no doubt that the government/s particularly after 2014 and especially post-Covid period has/have provided wide ranging facilities to the people mostly free of cost in this context. There is also a big intervention by the private institutions, NGOs and organisations related to the public welfare who are contributing to the cause of the health consciousness successfully. Baba Ramdev’s role is also hugely appreciated by people around the world and especially in India.
Adarsh Park in Vasundhara-Ghaziabad, UP is a classical example of people of all age groups and professions taking part in a wide range of physical and mental activities in the morning hours on a daily basis. Around one thousand people visit the park from 5.00 in the morning and keep on doing their routine exercises and activity up to 8 AM. Besides the routine walkers which run into hundreds, people in different groups get engaged in yoga classes, free gymnasium, mantra-chanting exercises, laughing exercises and also some innovative forms of exercises which are performed on the basis of soft musical rhythm. Even small children accompanied by their parents play various games in the park enthusiastically. The support and the initiative lent by their parents are also noteworthy particularly when their schools are closed due to summer vacations.
In addition to the above, there is also an RSS Shakha at the entrance of the park which is being attended by youth and small children who play various games and also do exercises on a daily basis. For sometime they also keep on discussing issues of national importance at the end of the physical activity regularly. They recite mantras, Subhashit and patriotic songs collectively and create positive vibes all around. At the end of the whole programme, they conclude their Shakha with prayers -called Prarthana before the Bhagwa-Dhwaj.
The government of India has been very proactive on the health front in various ways. Initially it was surely a shift from the earlier focus on health related issues but with the passage of time, it has been regarded as a normal and routine health related welfare measure. The government launched a number of health related schemes for the benefit of the people in general over the last 11 years specially. We are well aware about Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadi Kendras spread all over India in every city, town and big village. Then there is Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN), National Health Mission, National Oral Health Programme, Reproductive & Child Health (RCH) portal and various other health schemes. The state governments also have their own programmes in addition to the Central health programmes.
The government has also been encouraging health insurance schemes for the common people of the land. In this context, public-private intervention including entrepreneurships have also come up. The government of India has directly launched a number of official schemes to provide health insurance to the people at large and these programmes are funded and administered by the government of India. Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PM-JAY) is a big success throughout the country. Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Employees State Insurance Scheme (ESIS), Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana are some of the top insurance schemes available to the common people either free or at a very affordable premium.
Public sector insurance companies as well as the Private ones are hugely involved in providing various health insurance schemes to the people. Insurance is basically an idea of sharing the losses of a few through the contributions of many but it also provides a great peace of mind to the insured and particularly to the person or persons whose health related issues have been covered & insured. People in India over the last two decades have shown remarkable awareness about their health. A large segment of society due to different reasons have started taking care of their health proactively that has lowered the mortality ratio as well. Due to a large percentage of people coming out of the poverty bracket, the purchasing power has also increased and the consumer surplus has also helped people to jump to affordable and good health insurance schemes.
Health consciousness in the modern context is a multi-dimensional aspect of life that has both philosophical as well as practical features and characteristics attached to it. The main focus in a day to day life remains on being active in all situations of life irrespective of age and locations. The Fit India Movement has in its own way raised the level of this consciousness and the support and funds provided by the government to this wonderful concept has also been phenomenal in quest for keeping oneself active throughout one’s life. After a long time, historically speaking, India is being seen as a successfully emerging health-conscious nation in the modern era. While the world looks up to India for various reasons, the issue of health is also developing into a star attraction and India might be recognised as a great destination of the world in due course of time in this respect as well.
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