The quiet location of P S Venkatarama Daitota's cozy abode among the lush greenery of the remotely located Panaje of Puttur taluk in Dakshina Kannada district betrays the popularity of this Ayurvedic practitioner who is also a highly regarded expert in medicinal plants.

A descendant of the illustrious 'Panaje Vaidya' family, Venkatarama is the living link between this family's priceless tradition of healing through herbs, and the modern world that is fast forgetting this wonderful knowledge. A deep knowledge of Ayurveda and herbs that has been passed on to him from his ancestors, and a profound understanding of the modern health issues that is based on experience and research, have equipped Venkatarama with a 'healing touch' that has saved thousands of lives in the past 30 years.

Venkatarama's casual interest in herbs turned into deep curiosity during an exhibition of medicinal plants organised by his father in the year 1962. “I realised that there was a vast amount of knowledge to be explored in this field. So, I gave up my job as an engineer in Mysore and returned to my native place Panaje, where I've been practicing Ayurveda and herbal medicine since 1977,” says this 67-year-old engineering degree holder from KREC, Suratkal.

“The root cause for all modern health-related issues is man's growing distance from Mother Nature. And where else can we look to find remedies for such ills, but in nature? Ayurveda and such nature-based healing systems focus on the holistic healing of man rather than on curing just the symptoms of an illness, as is the case with modern medical methods,” he explains.

Though considered a 'walking encyclopedia on herbs' by his admirers, learning never stops for this medicine man who constantly travels in search of rare herbs and plants. In his 3.5 acres of land, one can find hundreds of medicinal plants flourishing wildly, including both the ones that are locally grown as well as those that were collected by him during his tours.

As a true nature lover, Venkatarama is greatly concerned about the fast vanishing green cover of the State. A column writer for a popular agriculture magazine published from Puttur called 'Adike Patrike', Venkatarama regularly contributes articles on Ayurveda, folk-remedies, herbal medicines, religious topics, etc. to several publications. He is currently working on a book that will have extensive information on each of the herbs that he has written about in the past. Besides, he is also involved in several service-oriented activities including free consultation on herbal medicines, conducting lectures and workshops all over the State for students and general public to spread awareness about plants of medicinal value, etc.

In his efforts towards preserving and disseminating traditional knowledge, Venkatarama is ably supported by his talented wife Jayalakshmi. Be it health, nutritious recipes, pregnancy/ post-pregnancy and child care, beauty, hygiene - this energetic lady has wonderful practical information to offer. A wisdom that is perfected over generations that lived in close association with nature, finds easy expression through Jayalakshmi who is ever ready to share her priceless traditional knowledge with anyone who is interested. A hair oil that is prepared with some 26 chosen herbs, baby oil, kashaya (health drink) powder, malt powder, puliyogare mix are some of her special preparations that boast of popularity among her health-conscious customers. Since 1993, along with her husband, she has been giving regular radio programmes on topics like health, diet and herbal medicine.

Every patient that comes to Venkatarama is required to fill in a questionnaire before the diagnosis can be done, a system unique to Panaje Vaidya family. For women, there is an additional page of questions which has to be answered. This questionnaire was developed by Venkatarama's father, which he is following to this day. The comprehensive set of questions is so designed as to extract accurate information about the health of the patient. The file containing each patient's information is then saved carefully to be used as a reference material during the patient's future visits.

Besides offering free consultation, Venkatarama also introduces his patients to medicinal plants and encourages them to grow the herbs themselves. While some of the herbal preparations are done at home by the couple, the requirement of the remaining medicine is met by SDP Ayurvedic Remedies and Research Centre and Sri Durga clinic in Puttur where the medicines are specially prepared according to the Panaje Vaidya tradition.

Despite being located at a remote corner of the State, the number of people seeking their help is ever increasing. “I'm eternally grateful to them for giving me my daughter back,” says Lalitha who had lost all hope of seeing her 10-year-old daughter Bhagyashree as a normal child when she first brought her to Panaje for treatment. Bhagyashree was diagnosed with abnormal brain function when she was barely 11 months old. After a long period of high medication, Bhagyashree's family had given up all hopes of her recovery. Studying her condition, Venkatarama was convinced that it was a clear case of wrong diagnosis. And how Bhagyashree was transformed into a chirpy girl with perfect health within just six months of treatment was nothing less than a miracle for her family members! There are countless such instances.

If our rich traditional knowledge is still surviving the onslaught of technology and lack of awareness among general public, the credit should go to people like Venkatarama who have dedicated their lives to keeping this wisdom alive. May their tribe flourish!

For details, contact: P S Venkatarama Daitota, 'Urvara', Post Panaje, Dakshina Kannada dt - 574259; Ph: 04998-226296