Writings of the land’s scholars, philosophers, social reformers, poets, authors of prose, not to forget the kings commanding people’s respect for their acts of benevolence featured in the narratives in the form of stories and anecdotes, all belonging to a distant past, prompts one to remember them respectfully as ancestors extraordinaire, with their only mission in life namely doing good to society for all times. In their company stand out two healers of the land, Charaka and Sushrutha, credited with pioneering work as principal contributors to the system of medicine and lifestyle in ancient India, familiar to all as Ayurveda. We are in an era dominated by Science-based modern system of medicine, including surgical procedures drawing from advancing technologies, to treat the victims of diseases in a long list, and bewildering their number and nature beyond the comprehension of even the literati. People owe a deep debt of gratitude to the healers doing their best in getting into grips with the knowledge expanding rapidly for diagnosis and prescribing the appropriate line of treatment.
The language of Ayurveda being Sanskrit may have acted as a brake in achieving an outreach to the extent desired, while the lingua franca of professionals practising the modern system of medicine, allopathy, being English, the practitioners seem to be comfortable with the bridge language, no matter which language they speak in their daily routine.
