MEET : EUROPE'S FIRST LADY OF AYURVEDA

DR. VINOD VERMA is known as the First Lady of Ayurveda. She studied Neurobiology at Paris University and obtained a Doctorate. She pursued advanced research at the National Institute of Health, Bethesda(USA) and the Max Plank Institute in Freiburg(Germany).

At the peak of her career in medical research in a pharmaceutical company in Germany, she realised that the modern approach to health care is basically fragmented and non- holistic. Besides, ‘We are directing all our efforts and resources to cure disease rather than maintaining health,’ she says.

Dr. Verma grew up with a strange familial tradition of Ayurveda. Her grandmother had enormous knowledge of Ayurveda and was a gifted healer. She herself has been studying Ayurveda in the traditional Guru-Shishya style with Acharya Priya Vrat Sharma of Benares Hindu University and completed her doctorate. She now says : Many minor ailments can be dealt with a simple home made ‘Churan’ with Kalonji, ajwain, jeera and methi, powdered together in equal quantities.

Dr. Vinod Verma today is the Academic Director of the Charak Ayurveda and Yoga Academy and Cultural Centre(CAYACE) which has its headquarters in Dresden, Germany. She is a visiting professor of BUGY in Gottingen in Germany.

She was the first one to introduce Ayurveda and Yogic healing abroad in a scientific manner more than 20 years ago. She speaks Hindi, Punjabi, French, German and English and has knowledge of Sanskrit also.