Thrissur: Vaidyaratnam ET Narayanan Mooss (87), who gave a modern face to Ayurveda without giving up the uniqueness of the Ashtavaidya tradition, has passed away. The death occurred at 8:15pm on Wednesday at Ollur Thaikattussery manna. The funeral was held at 9am on Thursday with state honours.
He was the founder of the Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda College and Research Centre, which has earned a place in the history of Ayurvedic medicine in Kerala. He was the Chairman and Managing Director of the Vaidyaratnam group of companies.
In 2010, the country honoured him with the Padma Bhushan.
ET Narayanan Mooss, who mechanised the manufacture of Ayurvedic medicine, was successful in providing medical concoctions in the form of pills. He also developed many new medicines, including for diabetes.
Narayanan Mooss was born in Thaikattussery, near Ollur in Thrissur, on September 15, 1933, on Pooyam Nakshatram in the Malayalam month of Chingam. He was born to Eladathu Thaikkattu Neelakanthan Mooss and Devaki Antharjanam.
He was proficient in Sanskrit, Ayurvedic medicine and Hindi and English. He also memorised the Ashtanga Hridayam, an ancient text on Ayurveda.
He took over the responsibility of the Vaidyaratnam Pharmacy, founded by his father ET Neelakanthan Moose, in 1954 at the age of 21. Vaidyaratnam Nursing Home was started in 1955 with the approval of the Union Ministry of Health.
Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda College was established in 1976 at Thaikattussery and he started the Ayurvedic Research Centre and Charitable Hospital in 1992.
He has received the Akshaya Award (1988), the Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth Chikitsa Guru Award from the central government (1991), the Swadeshi Award (1997) and the Acharya Ayurveda Award from the state government.
He is survived by wife Sati Antharjanam. Shailaja Bhavadasan and eminent Ayurvedic practitioners Ashtavaidyan Neelakanthan Mooss and Ashtavaidyan Parameswaran Mooss are his children.
