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Dr Vijaya Venkat

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Dr Vijaya Venkat

Dr. Vijaya Venkat

Dr. Vijaya Venkat (1938-2016) was an nutritionist by profession, and activist by heart. She founded The Health Awareness Centre THAC[1] in 1989 to create a link between our daily habits and its effects on the environment.

THAC was started under the auspices of Strihitavardhani Audyogik Sahakari Sansthan, to contribute to the community, in the spheres of food, health, ecology and employment. One of the very first programmes started was a nutritious lunch service for organic and wholesome meals in the 1980’s. Some would say it was a campaign against packaged, canned, bottled foods and fast foods, to make real food more easily available and visible. It was the first of its kind. Despite her educational qualifications in Nutrition, Biochemistry and Microbiology, Dr. Venkat consciously chose to divert her attention, energy and time, to natural living and natural farming in India. Over five  decades, she worked with people and organisations that help to restore the balance between development and health.

She was one of the activists to influence and prevent ODA funding for the Narmada River Valley Project from Japan. Prakruti, now 40 years old, was one of the earliest registered organisations in Mumbai to actively promote environmentally sustainable lifestyles. Under her direction as Vice President, Prakruti became a platform for bringing together activists and consumers. She was one of the chief initiators of the first Natural Living and Natural Farming Conference at Bordi, Maharashtra - the one and only time natural living was included in Sustainable Development.

She had personal interactions with path breakers – Masanobu Fukouka, Bhaskar Save, Sunderlal Bahuguna, Baba Amte, Bill Mollison, Winnin Pereira, Medha Patkar, Bittu Sehgal. Alongside, she met many different spiritual masters. The seeds of ethics and compassion were sown. Together they enabled her to see the connections between the body and the earth. This eventually gave birth to THAC in 1989. That's how ‘Self Care Health Care Earth Care’ (SHE) was born.

As a practicing nutritionist for over three decades, Dr. Venkat educated people to understand how our bodies function - thus empowering them to break away from conditioned and fragmented dietary habits by guiding them to adopt eco-healthy lifestyles. Instead of depending on the present system of medicure that is based solely on short-term cures, she aimed to shift the focus from illness to wellness.

With her guidance, THAC had conducted a small study in collaboration with  Tata Memorial Hospital on the effect of diet and lifestyle on managing Cancer. During the study, 5 palliative Cancer patients, in Bhakti Vedanta Hospital (Mumbai), were put on corrective health practises, including diet, for 14 days. At the end of it, 4 showed no symptoms and all were on reduced dosage of morphine.  

Three villages in Maharashtra were brought under her wing to train and motivate Angan Wadi workers to help redesign the midday meal program and thus provide wholesome, nutritious food to 400 children. Not only did more children start attending school, but the active role of the Angan Wadi women ensured that infant mortality and nutritional health dramatically improved.

Her work included writing on health issues in mainstream publications and making information freely available that supports true learning and healing. Dr. Venkat often initiated dialogues on food safety, on pertinent issues such as irradiation, immunization, iodization or GM Food. These issues continue to affect our safety and food security. She believed that by taking measures to protect the earth, we will also protect our body.

She continued to be actively involved in the daily working of the Centre, till her passing in 2016. Her message and its relevance continue to resonate even more today. A book on the core concepts of wellness - "No Ifs. No Buts", encapsulates her work and vision.

Her emphasis on putting health care back into the hands of the individual, through awareness of health management principles (self care), continues in the daily workings of THAC, which includes personal counselling, nutritional re-educational classes, workshops, open-house, training cooks, a library, as well as providing organic food and making available organic snacks. Currently THAC is located in Mumbai. With workshops happening in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi.

Education:

A student of Biochemistry and Microbiology, with an Honours Degree in Chemistry, from the University of Bombay, with a Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics and Applied Nutrition.

The College of Life Science, Texas, USA, conferred on Ms. Venkat the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Nutritional Science after she completed a prescribed course in 1991.

Dr. Venkat was also a professional member of The American Society of Nutritional and Dietary Consultants. A paper on ‘Recommended Dietary Allowance and Its Recuperation On Humanity’ that she presented at the conference on Alternative Approaches to Medicine at Copenhagen (Denmark) and the discussion it generated, is one among the two important highlights of the event.

The Medicina Alternativa International, Denmark awarded Dr. Venkat a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1987 for her contribution to the health sciences.

Awards:

In 1994 she was awarded the BEST Medical International Award (USA) “in recognition of 20 years of dedicated service in the field of diet and nutrition, for better health without medicine.”

The Rotary Club of Bombay (South) honoured her work with a “Vocational Excellence” award in 2007.

The World Wellness Open University conferred upon her the “Wellness Service Award to Humanity” in the areas of wellness and wellbeing in 2008.

The Rotary awarded her with the ICON FAMILY AWARD and Divine Noni awarded her the Wellness Star Wellness Mother Award.

She was the intellectual backup for the World Wellness Movement which took route through Divine Noni Biotech. Along with the THAC team, she formulated a course for Natural Living which was accepted at the Indira Gandhi Open University.

Talks by Dr. Vijaya Venkat:

TedX Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml4Oqa0pMgQ

World Noni Congress https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2NPqSM_I_E

References[edit]

http://www.uppercrustindia.com/vijayaventak.php https://www.simplylifeindia.com/dr-vijaya-venkat.html http://oneindiaonepeople.com/dr-vijaya-venkat/ https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/health/story/all-about-changing-the-rules-of-eating-68971-2010-03-09 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Dr-Vijaya-Venkat/tributeshow/50486238.cms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml4Oqa0pMgQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esnBZ7zjpmg

Dr. Vijaya Venkat[edit]


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