Mysuru: A five-day National Workshop on ‘Tribal Healers and Tribal Medicines’ organised  by Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), Southern Regional Centre (SRC) in collaboration with the Anthropological Survey of India, Southern Regional Centre, Bogadi, Mysuru, began at IGRMS (SRC), Mysuru campus, Wellington House, here this morning.

The workshop was inaugurated by Prof. Sarit Kumar Chaudhuri, Director IGRMS, Bhopal. In his address, he said, “The workshop was organised to revive the traditional knowledge of medicines. Though ayurveda medicines are available, these traditional medicines have not been documented. So during this workshop we will document all the traditional medicinal practices, the procedures of making them and popularise to the common public even in urban areas. We will conduct such workshops every year to help the public.”

Other dignitaries present on the dais were Prof. Promode Kumar Misra, President, Anthropological Association, Mysuru, Dr. M. Sasikumar, Deputy Director, Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata, Dr. C.R. Sathyanarayanan, Deputy Director, Anthropological Survey of India, Mysuru, Dr. Jakka Parthasarathy, Former Director, TRC (Tribal Research Centre), Ooty, Dr. Viswanath Nair, Former Director, KIRTADS (Kerala institute for Research Training & Development Studies of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes), Kerala and Himanshu Mishra, Scientist-E, BARC (Baba Atomic Research Centre), Mumbai. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Viswanath Nair said that tribal people were devoid of facilities in remote areas and added that the aim is to bring the tribal healing system recognition and value as there are about 75,000 tribal healers in India at present. He said that it was time to document their practices and knowledge and boost it now.

About 65 tribal healers from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Chattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakand and Jharkhand are participating in this workshop.

Demonstration of indigenous medicinal healing practices from tribal communities with the use of natural herbs, shrubs, bulbs, roots along with locally prepared oils and other medicines will be held at the workshop and the healers will also discuss their problems and future development of their occupation in the daily seminar organised by the IGRMS. The workshop will conclude on Dec.14.