Dr. Latha Satheesh

Mr. Darshan Shankar

Darshan Shankar started his professional career in 1973 at the University of Bombay as the coordinator of an inter-disciplinary center for development research. At this center he conceived, designed and implemented a pioneering action-research programme, which provided graduates of any discipline a 2-year fellowship to live in a rural community and apply their formal learning to a real life situation. This programme won a "Commonwealth Award" in 1976 being adjudged as the best project in the Commonwealth for linking university education to community needs. Between 1980 and 1992 he lived and worked in a tribal area in Maharashtra. In 1993, he founded the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions. In 1998, he was awarded "Norman Borlaug Award" for his contributions to promoting conservation of medicinal plants, and in 2002, FRLHT was awarded the "Equator Initiative Prize" by the United Nations. In 2003, the Columbia University's Centre for Complementary & Alternative Medicines gave its first International Award to Darshan Shankar & FRLHT, in recognition of FRLHT's outstanding contributions to revitalization of traditional systems of health-care in India.

Mr. P.R Krishnakumar

PR Krishna Kumar, Managing Director, Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, Coimbatore has been honored by the Government of India with the PadmaShree in 2009.

He is the head of The Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, a premier ayurvedic institution in the country, involved in production of quality medicines, promotion of Ayurvedic education, research and clinical services and the second best traditional house in the South.

He initiated the first ever clinical research in traditional medicines under WHO and ICMR partnership in 1977 to study the efficacy of Ayurvedic treatment on Rheumatoid arthritis.  He conceived and implemented a unique 7 ½ years educational program for Ayurveda totally free, affiliated to Madras University and later to Bharathiar University and also approved by the Central Council for Indian Medicine (CCIM), which created a unique breed of Ayurveda scholars.

A lawyer by profession Ms. Kamala also holds a post graduate degree in History and has vast experience in active court practice, and wide exposure in areas of civil law in general and property law in particular. She gives legal consultancy to individuals, institutions and a few corporates.

Daisy Dharmaraj is a medical doctor who after completing her Doctorate in Community medicine from CMC Vellore has served among the tribals dalits and fisherfolk in Orissa, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh through PREPARE a national NGO which she directed for two decades. She has trained many grass root persons and middle level NGO managers and staff in Primary health care, disaster preparedness, HIV AIDS and reproductive health, over the years and has prepared several many training materials in these areas. She has a special interest in advocacy concerning infant formula, pesticides, invasive contraceptives, aquaculture, gender concerns and in the rights of People living with HIV AIDS. She was a member of National Commission for women. She has been part of many national and international networks. She has traveled widely in Europe and Asia as a consultant and as network member.

TEST Foundation an NGO headed by Dr. Daisy is involved in HIV AIDS prevention care and advocacy. She currently works as a health and development consultant and as a visiting professor in Community medicine in a medical college in Andhra Pradesh.

A. V. Balasubramanian obtained his M.Sc degree in Chemistry from Bangalore University and did a Post M.Sc., diploma in Molecular Biophysics from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.  Later he studied Physiology and Biophysics at the State University of New York at Stonybrook.  Since 1982 he has been involved in work relating to various aspects of Traditional Indian Sciences and Technologies and trying to explore their current relevance and potential.  In 1995 he founded the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems, (CIKS) an institution devoted to exploring the contemporary relevance and applications of Indian Knowledge Systems, particularly in the area of sustainable agriculture.

In CIKS he has been involved in the production of educational and training material on various aspects of Sustainable Agriculture as well as research on this topic drawing upon indigenous knowledge wisdom and practices.  More recently he has also been involved in helping farmers to set up a large number of producer companies through which various activities relating to the production and marketing of organic produce are carried out as well as services for farmers are offered.  He has been a member of several  committees of the Government of India (Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Human Resources Development) as well as on the Editorial Board of several Magazines and Journals (such as the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine). Besides agriculture he also has an active interest in other areas of Indian knowledge systems including – indigenous health and yoga as well as the epistemology of traditional knowledge systems.  For his contributions in the area of indigenous traditions of Sciences and Technologies he was the recipient of an honorary doctorate awarded by the Gandhigram Rural University, Gandhigram, Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu in 2010.

He is one of the Founding Trustee of CIKS and currently Director of the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems.