Ayurveda and Siddha cared for India until 1947 — and then 75 years of institutional neglect nearly erased them. Dr. G. Meera, head of Ayush Research Innovations, founder of Sri Hariyam Ayurveda, first woman elected as director at IMCOPS, and pioneer of telemedicine during COVID, speaks with unusual candour about the systemic marginalisation of traditional Indian medicine systems.
The comparison with China is pointed: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners are respected by and practice alongside allopathic doctors in China; physicians freely cross-refer. In India, the Ayush community remains fragmented — Ayurveda, Siddha, Yunani, Yoga, Naturopathy, and Homoeopathy all operate separately without a unified voice, unable to advocate effectively within institutions like the IMA. Dr. Meera argues this fragmentation is the primary structural weakness — a single, united Ayush professional body would change the power dynamic entirely.
Her Gnana Varshini Trust honoured 33 Ayush doctors in a ceremony graced by Tamil Nadu Governor Thiru Aaryan Ravi — the first time such institutional recognition reached the community. Dr. Meera’s broader argument: India is uniquely positioned to integrate both knowledge systems at a global level, but needs to stop waiting for validation from allopathic institutions before treating its own ancient medical traditions as legitimate.

About the Speaker:
Dr. G Meera is the Head of AYUSH research innovations and the founder of Sreehareeyam Ayurveda. She is the only woman to have been elected as the Director at IMPCOPS (The Indian Medical Practitioners Co-operative Pharmacy and Stores Ltd) from Tamilnadu. Under her efforts, IIT and IMPCOPS have signed an MOU for research on sensors. She is also the first doctor to have done telemedicine during COVID-19 for the Anand hospital at Meerut.