Kerala: Renowned Ayurveda practitioner P. K. Warrier passes away at 100

Thiruvananthapuram, July 10, 2021

Renowned Ayurveda practitioner Panniyampilly Krishnankuty Warrier, popularly known as P K Warrier, passed away at the age of 100 at his residence in Kottakal in Malappuram district of Kerala on Saturday.

Dr Warrier was the managing trusteee of the Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala, the well-known chain of Ayurvedic hospitals and treatment centres and producer of Ayurvedic medicines, for the past 67 years.

He was the nephew of Vaidyaratnam P S Warrier, the founder of Arya Vaidya Sala, and took over the reins of the institution in 1953 after the death of his elder brother and in an air crash.

His wife, Madhavikutty, a poet, and one of their sons had predeceased him. He is survived by a son and a daughter.

Dr Warrier had turned 100 on June 5. He had been infected with COVID-19 and was being treated for urinary ailments.

The Government had honoured him with the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour, in 2010.

Dr Warrier was born on June 5, 1921 at Kottakkal as the youngest of six children of his parents. After finishing schooling, he studied Ayurveda in Arya Vaidya Pathasala (present Vaidyaratnam P. S. Warrier Ayurveda College).

As the head of Arya Vaidya Sala, Dr Warrier propagated a holistic approach to treatment of diseases and established a research laboratory, which has grown into the Centre for Medicinal Plants Research, a full-fledged research institution.

He authored several research papers and co-authored a five-volume treatise, "Indian Medicinal Plants -- A Compendium of 500 Species".

Among the many awards he won was the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for his autobiography, Smrithi Parvam, in 2008.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among those who condoled the passing away of Dr Warrier.

"Saddened by the passing away of Dr. PK Warrier. His contributions to popularise Ayurveda will always be remembered. Condolences to his family and friends," he said on micro-blogging site Twitter.

IANS adds:

Recalling his personal experience, former Defence Minister A. K. Antony said that one day he received a call from then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao, saying that then Sri Lankan Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike was unwell and was unable to walk. After several discussions, it was decided she would undergo Ayurvedic treatment.

"It was decided that she will fly down to Thiruvananthapuram and stay at the official residence of the Kerala Governor while a team of Ayurveda doctors led by Warrier began their treatment. She came on a stretcher and I was there to receive her at the airport but after the treatment, when I went to see her off, I saw her smiling and walking smartly," Antony added.

"Warrier was a humble and simple person but was a storehouse of knowledge in his subject. One of the foremost Ayurveda exponents has left us which is a huge loss," said Antony.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan condoled the demise of Dr Warrier.

"As a physician, he was committed to the scientific pursuit of Ayurveda. He will be remembered for his outstanding contribution to the modernisation of Ayurveda. As a humanist, he envisioned a life of good health and dignity for everyone in society. The demise of P. K. Warrier is a huge loss for medical fraternity," Khan said.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it was Warrier's efforts which gave Ayurveda a new dimension and acceptability across the globe because of his strong scientific base with which he was able to present and project Ayurveda.

NNN