Solan, May 20
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department of AYUSH, Government of Himachal Pradesh and Shoolini University was signed today for the establishment of “Shoolini Yogananda AYUSH Medicity” at Solan.
The MoU is the outcome of an ambitious project presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the Himachal Pradesh government during a grand event in Mandi on December 27 last year.
The idea behind setting up the AYUSH Medicity is to revive the principles and practices of ancient knowledge, science, and practice with students and scholars from diverse areas in a Gurukul culture equipped with cutting edge modern technology, according to Chancellor Prof P K Khosla.
To be taken up under the aegis of the Foundation of Life Sciences and Business Management (FLSBM) team, the project would include traditional rituals and folklore practices of Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopathy, Meditation, health and wellbeing. It will also study ancient folklore, the potential of medicinal and aromatic plants, languages, music, dance, and literature, which will also be taken up to impart education and skills.
The proposed AYUSH Medicity comprises the establishment of four major components, (i) AYUSH Hospital; (ii) University of Ancient Indian Wisdom; (iii) Cultivation and processing of medicinal & aromatic plants; and (iv) Health & Wellness centre.
Prof Khosla expressed his strong belief that India was home to some of the largest and the best universities of the world - Takshshila and Nalanda, among others. Somewhere along the way, these centres of knowledge were destroyed, and thousands of monks and scholars fled India. Over time, India lost this ‘ancient wisdom’ and centuries of innovation and research.
The FLSBM presented a group of sound governance and dedicated researchers coupled with adequate infrastructure and has been ranked among the top 200 Global Universities in 2022 under THE Impact ranking. Shoolini University is imparting education in relevant areas of Yoga, Naturopathy, Theology, Liberal Arts and Management, Biology, Agriculture and Health Sciences including Pharmaceutical Sciences along with frontier areas of Traditional healing, Biotechnology, Basic Sciences and Engineering & Technology. The university has been awarded a hundred-bed hospital of Yoga & Naturopathy by AYUSH, New Delhi. The Medicity will be a small-scale venture catering to national & international students and details of the residential campus of Gurukul pedagogy and modern cutting-edge technology at a serene location in the Solan districts of Himachal Pradesh. Moreover, the principles of traditional farming with modern technological interventions would be helpful for enhancing the income and livelihood of the local villagers and farmers.