Vice-President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar will inaugurate the statues of Acharya Charaka and Sage Susruta installed at Raj Bhavan on 22nd May, 2025 at 9.30 am. Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai and Chief Minister, Dr. Pramod Sawant will also grace the occasion.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Sanjeev C. Gauns Dessai, Secretary to Governor, briefed the media about the event scheduled for Thursday.
Governor Pillai has started many practices in Raj Bhavan. Goa Raj Bhavan is emerging as an eco-friendly model by implementing various schemes for the protection of nature. For the last three years, Raj Bhavan had occasion to open various gardens namely Orchid Poly House, Jack Fruit Garden, Bio-Digestor Plant, Vaman Vriksha Kala Udyan, Aushadi Vatika, etc., besides Raj Bhavan started a ‘Gaushala’ in the name of Prime Minister, on his birthday and through this effort protecting “Swetakapila” cows. Goa Raj Bhavan received appreciation from all walks of life on these new initiatives.
Governor’s “Goa Sampurna Yatra” and “Saimik Daiz Yatra” are grand success and people of Goa visualised the Governor with a difference. New Scheme “Nayi Pahel” also helped the young budding writers to come up in their native languages.
Also, Governor Pillai distributed the financial assistance to Dialysis/Cancer/other patients and institutions through the Discretionary Fund of the Governor.
The Governor learnt that Bonsai was invented by our ingenious ancestors and the art was forgotten in India and it flourished in China and Japan over the centuries. Therefore, Raj Bhavan, Goa undertook its mission with vision to revive and propagate the Indian ancient Art of dwarfing trees and on the occasion of 72nd Birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 17-09-2022, Raj Bhavan, Goa started “Vaman Vriksha Kala Udyan” also popularly known as “Bonsai Garden” initially on the lawns of Raj Bhavan with 72 potted trees. Now, Raj Bhavan boasts of collection of 1008 Plants and soon it will be one of the biggest among Official Establishments/Administrative Institutes, in India.
As a part of the “Vaman Vriksha Kala Udyan (Bonsai Garden)” and Indian Medicinal Heritage, bronze statues of Acharya Charaka (Father of Ayurveda) and Sage Sushruta (Father of Surgery) are made and installed in the lawns/garden of Raj Bhavan. These two were brilliant physicians of ancient India and the two books, the Charaka Samhita and Sushrata Samhita, authored by them are renowned and in use even today for their deep knowledge and comprehension of medicine. Sage Sushruta also known as the Father of Surgery was not only a well known medical practitioner in India, but also across the world.
The Sushruta Samhita is among the most important ancient medical treatises and is one of the fundamental texts of the medical tradition in India along with the Charak Samhita. Also, the statue of Sage Sushruta (Father of Surgery) is on display at the renowned Royal Australian College of Surgeons, Melbourne. Further it was mentioned that the statue was donated by one of India’s top heart Surgeons Padma Shri Dr. K.M.Cherian who had performed the first successful heart transplant surgery in 1995. His text books had 184 chapters, described 1120 illnesses, medicinal plants and 64 mineral preparations. He is also known as the father of Plastic Surgery. His contributions include the fields of physiology, embryology, metabolism and immunity. Sushruta is the pioneer of 300 different types of operation and described 125 surgical instruments including the endoscope.
Equally important is Charaka, an earlier master in Ayurveda. Charaka Vaidha (also known as Acharya Charaka) was a prominent figure in the development of Ayurveda, a traditional Indian System of medicine and lifestyle. He is credited with compiling and editing the Charaka Samhita, a foundational text in Ayurveda. The Charaka Samhita covers a wide range of topics, including the principles of health, disease, diagnosis, and treatment. Today, there are countless in India and the world who believe and follow Ayurvedic medicine and more and more joining the ranks. The plan is to have a display of their exemplary contributions and profound influence in modern times along with the statues.
Raj Bhavan will also display panels giving the detail information and also showing instruments used by Sage Sushruta at that time. All are cordially invited for gracing the said occasion, informed Sanjeev C. Gauns Dessai, Secretary to Governor.
