Dr P K Warrier, the most respected name in Ayurveda across the world, passed away at Kailasa Mandiram, the headquarters of Vaidyaratnam P.S. Varier’s Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal, on Saturday.
The doyen of Ayurveda breathed his last, five weeks after Arya Vaidya Sala celebrated his centenary birthday. Managing Trustee of Arya Vaidya Sala since 1954, Panniyampilly Krishnankutty Warrier (Dr. Warrier) played an important role in taking the century-old institution to heights of glory and fame. His seven-decade-long service has made him a synonym for Kottakkal Ayurveda.
He was born as the youngest son to Thalappanna Sreedharan Namboothiri and Panniyampilly Kunchi Varasyar on June 5, 1921 in Kottakkal in Malappuram. He completed his schooling from Raja’s High School, Kottakkal, and Zamorin’s High School at Kozhikode. He is survived by son Balachandra Warrier and daughter Subhadra Ramachandran. His wife Madhavikutty and son Vijayan Warrier died a few years ago. Dr P K Warrier is the youngest nephew of Vaidyaratnam P S Warrier, the founder of AVS.
In recent years, as a holistic healing system, Ayurveda has witnessed evolution in the form of ayurvedic products and services. Dr P K Warrier and Arya Vaidya Sala played an important role in the rising awareness about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, increasing preference in favour of chemical-free natural products.
He played a historic role in contributing to research, upgradation, and expansion of the traditional practice. Under his leadership, the Arya Vaidya Sala was developed into an internationally reputed premier institution for treatment and medicine manufacturing
India honoured him with a Padma Sri in 1999, and a Padma Bhushan in 2010. Calicut University honoured him with a DLitt in 1999. He has many an honorific degree in his credit, including a Doctor of Medicine award from the University of Copenhagen.
The Ayurveda market in India was valued at INR 300 billion in 2018, and is expected to reach INR 710.87 billion by 2024, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of ~16.06%, during the forecast period (2019-2024).
In recent years, as a holistic healing system, ayurveda has witnessed evolution in the form of ayurvedic products and services. Rising awareness about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, increasing preference in favour of chemical-free natural products, as well as favourable government initiatives have led to the expansion of the Ayurveda market in India.
In 2018, around 75% of Indian households used ayurvedic products as against only 67% in 2015. Of late, manufacturers have been using herbal ingredients in the production of personal care products like lotions, oils and shampoos. Players in the food processing industry are also making use of herbal ingredients in manufacturing products like packaged juices and nutritional supplements.
