Ravindra Prasad, former Chairman and Managing Trustee of Art of Living Foundation, globetrotting Corporate Trainer turned Wellness Guru is now concentrating on organic foodstuffs for healing people. Now, he is foreseeing mega growth in this sector with the strategy of Food as Medicine. A Business Consultant for Weefa Wellness Solutions Private Limited, Ravindra Prasad explains in detail his plans and programs for implementing the strategy.
Excerpts from the interaction:
Q: Alternative health systems are in practice for several years. However, the biggest complaint remains that such practices don’t support proper systematic data. How do you defend yourself?
Ravindra Prasad: Well, it is as simple as that. I am prepared to share details of people coming up with their experiences of being benefitted by following our diet schedule. Is any lab prepared to verify and authenticate them? More than scientific our data is realistic with any number of testimonials…
…Doctor threatened for suggesting fruits: And as I said there is a doctor who asserted that fruits will bring down your sugar level. But, they have threatened him after which he has gone on YouTube recalling his predicament and explaining the necessity of eating fruits to lower blood sugar levels. Which science will come and give a report about such things? BM Hegde himself is a very good example. What more do you want…
…Allopathic doctor practices Ayurveda: I have a doctor by the name Krishnamurthy in Mysuru. He is a highly qualified Allopathic doctor. Apart from that, he has also studied Ayurveda. Now he is running Pragna Ayurveda Kuteer, practising only Ayurveda. His forefathers were the traditional doctors of the Kings of Mysuru royal family. They keep doing Dhanwantri homas and so far he has performed about 30,000 homas to date. The moment you go, it will be a different feel altogether because that air has all the powers.
Q: Following your experience so far with people who came complaining about BP and Blood Sugar and got recovered after a couple of months, when you started and where do you stand now?
Ravindra Prasad: People really want this. That’s the reason why I am planning to open Weefa stores where we are not just selling groceries but we will be having on offer food as medicine. These stores will be wholly manned by Nutritionists and Doctors. It will not be like the typical shopping venues wherein you can keep picking up whatever you want. On the other hand, the health experts will recommend to the visitors what to purchase and why depending upon the individual parameters…
…Millets are purely dangerous: Presently in the name of organic goods and millets enough products are being dumped on the market. But Millets are purely dangerous. No doubt they are good but not all of them to everyone. Just because someone told you that millets are good you need not follow it blindly without crosschecking their usefulness to you individually…
…Four big marts, jobs to Ex-servicemen, women: We will be shortly coming up with four big marts similar to Simply Namadhari. All visitors will be welcomed with the Jai Hind greeting. They will be screened to have an understanding of their food requirements before suggesting them the rice varieties and likewise. I have a farmer who grows more than 80 varieties of Paddy…
…Executive Director ran back to the village! Unfortunately, this city life doesn’t suit them. I gave him my car, a chamber like this, made him an Executive Director, gave him Rs 30,000/-; but his mind is only with his village and returned back. He has around 100-120 varieties of Mango trees and those Mangoes, you will not get anywhere. All are different species’; one is like an Orange only. Each type is of unique quality. Someone suggested he give names, so he has named some of them with his mother’s name, wife’s name and daughter’s name and patented them! He stays at Kirugavalu village of Malavalli Taluk in Mandya district and all varieties are only organic. His passion is collecting the seeds of extinct species’, rearing them and helping people to grow. I brought him honoured him; even TV9 Kannada TV channel honoured him. Most of our outlets will be having such special products.
Q: You said that you will be testing the parameters of the people visiting the outlets?
Ravindra Prasad: Yes, we will be doing so only if the visitors wish to get checked. These marts will be just like “Natural Clinics”. Apart from the four outlets, we are planning to start in Bengaluru, from the next year onwards we intend to open supermarkets around 60 kilometres away from Bengaluru on all National highways. There will be provision for parking hundreds of cars. Every weekend, Bengalureans wish to go out, buy vegetables, and groceries, have fun, and eat delicacies like Thatte Idlis’… In these marts, there will be provision for five-star hotels like washrooms; children's play area, Doctor’s consultation and availability of all organic products of all other brands other than our own. As long as they are organic, let people take them…
…Birthday stars also have plants: There are other 2-3 other things we will be promoting. For every birth date, there is a star and also there is a plant for that; however, many people do not know. So if you tell your date of birth, we can identify you with the star within a fraction of a minute and we also recommend a particular plant associated with the star…
…Plants bereft of any jealousy, hatredness: Plant doesn’t have any jealousy, hatredness. Just like we have pets in the house, if you can keep the plants of your nakshatra then the connection comes. It’s like your own family, another family member. These plants are available in Shabrimalai, where they are growing all Nakshatra variety plants…
…Nakshatra plants ensure harmony! Suppose, we have four people at home and however, our understanding is unlike olden days there will be differences of opinion, generation gap, husband and wife are working. As each one will be undergoing their own pressure differences of opinion are bound to be there. But when you keep plants of their Nakshatra in the house, they make sure of ensuring harmony! You just need to keep pouring a little bit of water and maintain them for 4-5 years while buying them later. Assuming, someone gifts you a plant mentioning it to be of your Nakshatra, will you not welcome the gesture? This is what we are going to promote in our stores and people will love to keep such plants.
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| image source: healthyforlifemeals.com |
Q: What about food as medicine?
Ravindra Prasad: When you come to food it will work as medicine as long as it is free from chemicals and fertilizers. Otherwise, if you measure the toxic substances in that it is worse than poison! Whatever you eat body accepts. When I was conducting Art of Living classes in China and Hong Kong and I advised them to eat vegetarian food, they used to laugh! Anything moving on the earth, we are eating and nothing happens to us; what are you saying, they questioned me. In that way, even in India, we are no less as we have people eating tube lights and razors, but that doesn’t mean it is good…
…We are putting poison on mother earth: Body is made in such a way that whatever we munch it accepts it. Now, slowly traditional organic things have started disappearing making way for products ladened with hybrids full of more chemicals and more fertilizers and the mother earth is being spoiled as we are putting poison on her. We call earth as mother and are feeding poison to her. Imagine giving poison to your own mother, what happens to you? That’s exactly what is happening in nature. So, food has to be chemically free and fertilizer free…
…So-called organic outlets sell adulterated stuff: Many organic shops are there, but sadly most of them sell adulterated goods. That’s how we came into the picture. Most of them already in the market are more interested in making quick money. They keep spending money on certification, doing nice packaging and celebrities’ becoming brand ambassadors. On the other hand, we intend to authenticate our products by indicating the characteristics of the ingredients…
…Grandmothers’ food is the best food: While cooking food if your mind is not alright then the food becomes poison! You have eaten hotel food, and homemade food and as children have also eaten food prepared by your grandmother, which food you have relished the most. It goes without saying, grandmother food. They would have made ordinary food but still, it used to be tasty. Do you know why, it is because of the mind, my grandchildren, my son, my daughter, they are going to eat? Anything they used to put became medicine. That’s how even today grandmothers’ food is the best food…
…Mind makes food poison or medicine: While cooking food, if your mind is not alright then food will become poison! Of late, women are also working and they don’t have time. Cooking has become mechanically, some of them have cooks. Otherwise, what happens, they will have to prepare the children to go to school; do all that. Their mind is not on one thing. Hence food will not have that quality which is required. Only when your mind is committed to food, it will become medicine and tasty also.
-Manohar Yadavatti
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