Vice President Inaugurates 9th Siddha Day Celebrations in Chennai

The Vice President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, inaugurated the 9th Siddha Day celebrations at Kalaivanar Arangam, Chennai, highlighting the relevance of Siddha medicine as a holistic, preventive, and sustainable healthcare system for the modern world. Addressing a distinguished gathering of policymakers, practitioners, academicians, and students, he emphasized that India’s traditional systems of medicine—including Siddha, Ayurveda, and Yoga—are living traditions, not relics of the past.

Shri Radhakrishnan lauded Siddha medicine’s deep philosophical and scientific foundations, its holistic integration of body, mind, and nature, and its focus on preventive care and lifestyle management. He stressed the importance of preserving ancient manuscripts, medicinal knowledge, and conducting sustained research to ensure Siddha’s global recognition and future scientific breakthroughs.

The Vice President also encouraged young scholars to pursue research in Siddha, expressing confidence that it could lead to major innovations, including potential cures for currently incurable diseases. He called for financial and institutional support to enable uninterrupted advanced studies in the field.

Union Ayush Minister Shri Prataprao Jadhav said Siddha’s holistic approach aligns perfectly with modern healthcare needs. He highlighted significant milestones, including the inclusion of Siddha Morbidity Codes in WHO ICD-11, international collaborations, research outputs, and technology-enabled skill training programmes under the Ministry of Ayush.

Five eminent personalities—Dr. B. Michael Jeyaraj, Dr. T. Kannan Rajaram, Late Dr. I. Sornamariammal, Dr. Mohana Raj, and Prof. Dr. V. Banumathi—were honoured for their extraordinary contributions to the Siddha system of medicine in research, education, and manuscript preservation.

The event, themed “Siddha for Global Health,” reaffirmed India’s leadership in traditional medicine and highlighted the government’s commitment to making Siddha globally accessible, evidence-based, and integrated with contemporary healthcare systems. Senior officials from the Ministry of Ayush and the Tamil Nadu government, along with heads of Siddha institutions, attended the celebrations.