Ayurveda propagator & pioneer Dr PK Warrier passes away at the age of 100

On Saturday, 10 July 2021, Dr PK Warrier who helped popularise Ayurveda across the world, passed away at his home in Kottakkal, Malappuram. A month ago, he had celebrated his 100th birthday in Kerala.

Dr Warrier, a physician was the managing trustee of Arya Vaidya Sala (AVS), a charitable institution for the practice and propagation of Ayurveda. He served in that post for 62 years and was also its medical director.

• The official page of Arya Vaidya Shala describes him as an able administrator, educationist, academician and above all a physician, under whose leadership AVS grew into a multi-crore multi-functional organisation. He made Kottakkal 'a synonym of authentic Ayurveda', the page says. AVS became a sought-out destination for people, rich and poor alike, from India and abroad.

Dr PK Warrier was bestowed with the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan awards by the government of India. He also received several doctoral degrees from various universities, awards and recognitions, including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Biography and Autobiography for Smrithi Parvam.

Dr Warrier also wrote several research papers on Ayurveda— the five-volume treatise Indian Medicinal Plants: A Compendium of 500 Species that he co-authored being an important document on the subject.

Condolences started to pour in from people such as: actor Shwetha Menon, singer Mridula Varier, politicians Dr Shama Mohamed and MP Abdussamad Samadani, and strategist Sajeev Nair, among others.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also paid his condolences, calling Dr Warrier one of the most important doctors who brought global fame and acceptance to Ayurveda. He put forth the Science of Ayurveda and convinced the world of its importance, CM Pinarayi said. He also said that PK Warrier merged humanity in medical science. He spread the methods of Ayurveda treatment to the lowest level of the society so that the poor could also access it.

State Health Minister Veena George also paid her condolences. “We have lost the patriarch of Ayurveda,” she said.