Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 24 October 2025
As part of the 10th Ayurveda Day celebration themed “Ayurveda for People and Planet,” the AYUSH Wing of the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) and the A&N State AYUSH Society organized a special medicinal plants excursion for students of Saraswati Sishu Mandir, Pathergudda, on 23rd October 2025.
The educational tour took the students to Dweep Agro Eco Walk, Sippighat, and the CIARI campus, Garacharma, where they explored a wide variety of medicinal and aromatic plants. The trip was flagged off from AYUSH Hospital, Junglighat, by Dr. Suja Antony, Director (Health Services).
A total of 88 students, accompanied by their teachers, Medical Officers, and staff from the AYUSH Hospital, participated enthusiastically in the field visit.
During the visit, Dr. Ajit Arun Waman, Senior Scientist (Spices, Plantation Crops, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants), conducted an interactive session with the students. He explained the identification, characteristics, and therapeutic value of various medicinal plants and demonstrated nursery cultivation techniques for endemic species found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Dr. Waman also emphasized the importance of conserving rare native species through seed and vegetative propagation, encouraging young learners to appreciate the role of traditional medicine in environmental sustainability.
