Superstar Jackie Shroff Joins Hands with Jiva

Actor Jackie Shroff with (from second left) Dr. Satya Narayana Dasa, Director, Jiva Culture; aspiring actor Swaraaj Kapoor; Dr. Partap Chauhan, Director, Jiva Ayurveda; Mr. Rishi Pal Chauhan, President Jiva and Mrs. Chander Lata Chauhan, Principal, Jiva Public School.

It was roses, roses all the way as veteran Bollywood star Jackie Shroff entered the Jiva premises on December 16 here at Faridabad. He was welcomed with traditional garlands by the Jiva family, led by Mr. Rishi Pal Chauhan, President Jiva; Dr. Partap Chauhan, Director, Jiva Ayurveda; Dr. Satya Narayana Dasa, Director, Jiva Culture and Mrs. Chander Lata Chauhan, Principal, Jiva Public School (JPS).

Also present were some distinguished Indian and foreign visitors that included American Panchakarma expert Mr. Bart Staub, French Bhajan (Indian devotional songs) enthusiast Ms. Dautais, Russian Indophiles, health-tourists and Ayurveda students from different countries staying at the Jiva Clinic. There were a large number of Jiva staff members and JPS teachers present as well.

Jackie Shroff was on a whirlwind visit to Jiva to clinch a deal with Mr. Rishi Pal Chauhan to start a leisure joint venture. Jiva and Jackie are planning to establish an Ayurvedic wellness resort in India for which meetings were held at Mr Chauhan’s office suite. The details of the meeting are not officially out yet. More on this later.

After the meetings, Jackie, whose real name is Jaikishen Shroff, interacted with his little fans—small children waiting for him at the JPS playground. The actor, known for his philanthropy, was overwhelmed with joy at the rendition of a Kabir Bhajan by Ms. Dautais on guitar.

A small exhibition of posters, books, magazines and pictures depicting Jiva’s journey over the past eighteen years awaited him in the lobby. The exhibition also carried Jiva’s range of over 300 Ayurvedic healthcare and beauty products, over 100 book titles on Vedic philosophy, Ayurveda, education and parenting and over 80 CD and DVD titles on health problems and Indian culture.

Jackie, who was accompanied by aspiring actor Swaraaj Kapoor, was a real crowd-puller as children and grown-ups swarmed around him, competing with each other to get a glimpse of the superstar. Jackie, in turn, obliged all his fans with his friendly, one-on-one interactions with them. He even condescended to get photographed with everyone, including staff members, teachers, and even, small children.

Here’s a Flickr Photostream for you to enjoy! Also find a news story published in the Hindustan Times Faridabad Live, December 28, 2009 edition.

Governments Recognise the Ayurveda Man

Vygaudas Ušackas, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania with Dr. Partap Chauhan in New Delhi

Ayurveda, the 5000-year old medical science based on natural systems, has some excellent preventive and curative solutions to almost all modern-day lifestyle disorders. The most significant aspect of these solutions is that they are entirely based on naturally-occurring herbs and minerals and, therefore, are totally safe on the human body.

In the past two decades, Dr. Partap Chauhan with his team at Jiva has been spearheading the propagation of Ayurveda in India and around the world. With his efforts now coming to fruition, Ayurveda has found a new level of acceptance in the West, especially, in the European countries of Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Croatia, France and Germany.

Governments and media across these nations have started to recognise Dr. Chauhan’s exemplary contribution to the spread of Ayurveda. Recently, he was honoured by the governments of India and Lithuania at a ministerial gathering in New Delhi, India.

Dr. Chauhan was invited to a special dinner thrown by the Indian Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India in honour of a high-profile team of visiting delegates from Lithuania. The team led by Vygaudas Ušackas, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania included Dainius Kreivys, Minister of Economy, Lithuania; Mykolas Majauskas, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Lithuania and a large number of business leaders from Lithuania.

Jiva has a number of partners in Lithuania including the Grida Group (Gamtos Namai division) and Ayurveda Academy (Ajurvedos Akademija).

Click here to see a set of two photographs on Flickr.

Fighting Swine Flu with Ayurveda in Lithuania

Aurimas Vietrinas, Board Member, Grida Group (right) and his brother (left) with Dr. Partap Chauhan (centre)

Lithuanian participants at the workshop organised by Gamtos Namai (Biosola), Jiva distributor in Lithuania, received simple, effective tips and home remedies to fight swine flu. Speaking at the seminar on “Cleansing Body and Mind,” held at Panorama Hotel in the capital city of Vilnius, Dr. Partap Chauhan went on to explain the essence of Ayurveda and its ability to solve modern-day lifestyle disorders such as stress, obesity besides swine flu.

The one-day workshop on November 21 saw the participation of a large number of Lithuanian Ayurveda professionals, therapists, lifestyle consultants, media persons and public at large.

The workshop was inaugurated by Rajinder Kumar Chaudhary, Honorary Consul of India to Lithuania. Egle Gyliene, Director of the Ayurveda Wing, Gamtos Namai introduced Dr. Chauhan to the audience and described briefly the progress of her company’s partnership with Jiva in terms of market reach of Jiva’s natural health care and beauty products. Laima Viskantaite, Gamtos Namai’s Ayurvedic specialist, exhibited Jiva products and explained their benefits to the public. Gamtos Namai (Biosola) is the distributor of Jiva products in Lithuania.

Here is a photostream in Flickr for you to enjoy!

Life-Wellness for Jiva Insiders

How about a slice of life-wellness for Jiva insiders? This has indeed been possible now with the monthly workshops on Relevance of Bhagvad Gita in Modern Times, conducted by eminent Vedic scholar Dr. Satya Narayana Dasa, Director, Jiva Culture at Jiva headquarters at Faridabad on every third Sunday. The first workshop underwent on November 22, wherein Dr. Dasa oriented the participants on the fundamentals of Bhagvad Gita—the most revered book from ancient India after the Vedas.

For the audience, it was a one-and-a-half-hour journey into absolute Nirvana, with a guide as eloquent as Dr. Dasa. He explained to the audience the similarity of the situations between Arjuna of Bhagvad Gita—confused and dejected on being pitted against his own relatives in the battlefield and the modern-day man—confused and disoriented at his own identity and on being unable to decide the right way towards eternal happiness. Lord Krishna, in the role of Arjuna’s charioteer, guided him in the path of Dharma (duty) to decide for himself as to what was wrong and what was right.

The teachings of Lord Krishna are even relevant in today’s busy life. They are in fact one of the most potent sources of enlightenment and knowledge to empower ourselves against the vagaries of modern world such as economic crises in the form of job insecurities; violence in the form terrorism, road-rage, etc. and lifestyle-induced health issues in the form of stress, obesity, migraine, arthritis, etc.

Addressing a jam-packed audience, that partly comprised both employees from Jiva Institute and teachers from Jiva Public School, Dr. Dasa enriched their understanding of Manas (the subtle mind), of Buddhi (intelligences), of Chitta (the hard disk of the mind), of Ahamkara (ego) and of their mutual relations and interdependence.

The participants were excited about the next workshop, slated to be held on December 20. We will keep you updated on these workshops as and when they happen.

Carnival at Jiva Public School

Cute, Little Miss Techno Fashion 2009!

Since last year, November 11^th has been declared as National Education Day by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India to commemorate the birthday of the late Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad (Nov 11, 1888–Feb 22, 1958), an eminent educationist and the first Union Minister of Education of independent India. Azad was the key person behind the establishment of a national education system with free primary education and modern institutions of higher education.

Last year, Jiva Public School (JPS) observed the day by setting up 20 game booths dedicated to Indian culture and Multiple Intelligences. This year saw a more elaborate celebration in the form of Jiva Educational and Cultural Week, held in November 9–14, 2009. Here’s a briefing about some of the activities.

Grandparents’ Day: It was celebrated in honour of the grandparents in order to sensitise children on caring for the old. The student group amused the grandparents with their fantastic performances in a mythological drama (The Ramayana).

Tech Fashion Day: Senior students of JPS walked on the ramp, dressed up as gadgets. The panel of judges, which included Rishi Pal Chauhan, President, Jiva and Mrs. Chander Lata Chauhan, Principal, JPS, had a really amusing time with these ‘mobile’ gadgets catwalking as computers, Ipods, cell-phones and pen-drives!

Youth Parliament: Students and visitors were simply astounded at the sheer solemnness of the Youth Parliament set up in the likes of the sessions at the Indian Parliament. Youth Parliamentarians ‘tabled’ a Non-Money Bill in the Parliament and debated heavily on the reservation issue (reservation in jobs and educational institutions for minority communities).

Fukuwarai: The Japanese game of Fukuwarai (lucky laugh) really had both children and their guardians split with laughter. In this game, aimed at improving the Visual aspect of Multiple Intelligences, the players pinned different parts of the face (such as the eyes, eyebrows, nose and mouth) blindfolded onto a blank face in order to show different moods—sadness, happiness, wonder, etc.

PowerPoint Presentation: Students exhibited a bit of their ‘office skills’ when they presented a really impressive MS PowerPoint slideshow on global warming, re-instating the need for us to act upon ways to prevent climate change.

The list of activities seemed to be endless—Mom & Me Race with the moms’ hands tied, flash card game, debates, elocution, dance competition, Rangoli-making, earthen-pot-making and leaf-bracelet-making competitions. In addition, the participants of Jiva Educational and Cultural Week were lucky to have American Gail Levy as their special guest.

Click here to visit a Flickr Photostream of the events.

Dr. Chauhan’s Wellness World Tours

Dr. Partap Chauhan Speaking on “I Am Healthy and Happy” in Lithuania

While the world is increasingly becoming a breeding ground for lifestyle-induced diseases and stress-related disorders, there are a few who are relentlessly working towards creating awareness on a permanent, natural solution in the form of the ancient wisdom called Ayurveda. Dr. Partap Chauhan, Director, Jiva Ayurveda is one among the few such people. With a dream to see Ayurveda in every home, he has been conducting workshops and lectures for students and people in general all over the world for the past fifteen years. Here is an update of the latest few:

Germany

Dr. Partap Chauhan was invited at the European World Ayurveda Congress, Baden-Baden, Germany, held between October 10–11, to speak on the topic “Child Psychology and Ayurveda.” The event, organised by European Ayurveda Association, saw the participation of several world’s leading Ayurveda experts. Dr. S.K. Sharma, Advisor (Ayurveda), Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Government of India accompanied Dr. Chauhan.

Lithuania

In Lithuania, Dr. Chauhan conducted a joint workshop on “I Am Healthy and Happy” with Lithuanian media icon and senior journalist Algimantas Čekuolis on October 14 in the capital city of Vilnius. Co-organised by Jiva’s partner in Lithuania, Ayurveda Academy, the workshop discussed “how to go through life, to be in harmony with oneself and the world” in the light of Ayurveda.

Poland

While in Poland, Dr. Chauhan conducted Jivananda workshops in two cities—Warsaw and Poznań, wherein he demonstrated Jivananda techniques to the participants in order to lead a disease-free and balanced life. This included the Jivananda lifestyle regimen, breathing and stretching exercises and the Jiva Meditation.

Lithuania Again

Dr. Chauhan has his next foreign workshop in Lithuania again on November 21 in the capital city of Vilnius. Here he will lecture on “Pure Body and Mind” in a seminar organised by Gamtos Namai (Biosola), Jiva distributor in Lithuania. If you want to participate, please refer to their website here.

If you want to organise or participate in Dr. Partap Chauhan’s workshops in your country, you may write to us at info@jiva.com.

Here is a photostream in Flickr!

Jiva Ayurveda Clinic in Surat

Jiva Ayurveda Clinic Display Board

Good news for people residing in and nearby the city of Surat in Gujarat, India as life-wellness makes its entry into the city on November 6, 2009 with Jiva opening its new Ayurvedic clinic here.

The Jiva Ayurveda Clinic in Surat, like all the previous six, is equipped with all modern amenities and is manned by a qualified Jiva-trained resident doctor to give people access to world-class Ayurvedic health and beauty care. Through this clinic, people can get natural, herbal solutions to all their health problems.

Dr. Partap Chauhan, Director, Jiva Ayurveda will inaugurate the Jiva Ayurveda Clinic on Friday, November 6, 2009.

All are cordially invited to attend the function. To book for consultations, you may call on mobile number 09974530508.

The Jiva Ayurveda Clinic is located at:

Athwa-Dumas Road

Near Vijay Sales (Gali)

Shree Dutt Nivas

3/4 Nandi Park Society, Piplod

Surat 395007, Gujarat.

It is open 6 days a week, Mon-Sat, from 10 am to 7 pm. For more details you may contact us by calling on +91-9974530508 or +91-129-4088152 or by mailing at surat@jiva.com or info@jiva.com.

Jiva now has a total of 7 clinics located at Surat (Gujarat), Gurgaon and Faridabad (Haryana), Rohini and South Extension II (New Delhi), Vrindavan (UP) and Opatija (Croatia, Europe).

AAPNA Charaka Award to Dr. Chauhan

Logo of AAPNA

Dr. Partap Chauhan, Director, Jiva Ayurveda has recently been awarded the Charaka Award for Excellence in Ayurvedic Teaching (International Category) by one of the most prestigious institutions in the world—AAPNA.

AAPNA stands for ‘Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America’—a top-ranking organization that unites Ayurvedic and integrative medicine health professionals, students, academic institutes and corporations throughout the world. It is headed by its founding director Dr. Shekhar Annambhotla.

Charaka Award for Excellence in Ayurvedic Teaching (Professional Members) is chosen from among “all earnest and dedicated members of AAPNA who are practitioners, teachers, institutions, students, corporations and individuals in the field of Ayurveda.”

The award is an addition to a really long list of rewards and honours that Dr. Chauhan has received so far. This includes World Summit Award (United Nations-2003), Best Ayurvedic Physician Award (Azmal Khan Society-2004), Life Fellowship (All India Doctors Association of ISM-2001), President of India’s Honours (1996 and 2003), Dhanwantari Award (AIIMGA, New Delhi-2007) and Promotion of Ayurveda Globally Award (Government of India-2001).

Author of two bestselling books, Eternal Health and Eternal Beauty, and dozens of DVD videos on health problems, Dr. Chauhan has been teaching Ayurveda both at Jiva as well as in other countries for the past 15 years. He is a regular contributor to several international health periodicals and magazines.

Dr. Chauhan is a member of the Advisory Committee, Ministry of Health, Govt. of Delhi, the prestigious NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medical Association), USA and Ayurveda Practitioners’ Association, UK. He also serves as the Chairman, International Cell to AIIMGA (All India Indian Medicine Graduate Association, New Delhi). He is a visiting professor to Ayurveda Gurukula, Japan and Kripalu School of Ayurveda, USA and advisor to Ajurweda.pl, Poland. Dr Chauhan is an expert in treating the so-called incurable diseases, in Pharmacology and Rasashastra.

With Dr. Chauhan’s dream to “see Ayurveda in every home”, this honour goes a long way in recognising his efforts in Ayurveda education and in encouraging struggling Ayurveda professionals around the world.

Grand Launch of The 10 Laws of Learning Book

Author Steven Rudolph explaining the essence of each of the ten Laws of Learning and their practical applications to the audience.

Educator Steven Rudolph’s pathbreaking book on parenting, The 10 Laws of Learning (TTLOL), received a grand launch at the American Center, New Delhi this Wednesday (Oct 21, 2009) with several Indian and foreign educational bigwigs making it to the attendees’ list. TTLOL is the first comprehensive parenting book for Indian parents. It helps parents as well as teachers in creating better learning environments for children so that they become champions in life.

The panel of dignitaries, that attended the launch, included Mr. Arun Kapur, author and director to Vasant Valley School, New Delhi and Prof. (Dr.) Y.S. Rajan, senior space scientist, author and Principal Adviser, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).

The two-hour programme started with a brief orientation by Ms. Chiki Sarkar, Editor-in-Chief, Random House India, who later invited Steve on stage to explain the backdrop against which the book came into existence. It was followed by an animated power-point presentation by the author, where he explained, in short, the essence of each of the ten Laws and their practical applications.

Mr. Kapur, author of the masterpiece Transforming Schools—Empowering Children, lauded the uniqueness and completeness of TTLOL in dealing with every minute issue related to children’s upbringing and learning within the framework of a small volume with an even smaller price tag (Rs. 99/-). Prof. Rajan, of the India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium fame, cited various examples from the world of science to explain the logic behind some of the unique features of the book.

The programme ended with a live question-and-answer session that threw light on some of the most fascinating facts about the book and its author.

Enjoy a photostream of the function, by clicking here.

To know more about the book, read our previous blog post, Steve’s Pathbreaking Book on Parenting Out.

To order online, click here.

Steve Receives Ed Leadership Award

Steve Receiving the Award from Mr. Amit Kumar Ghosh (left), District Magistrate, Lucknow and Mr. Jagdish Gandhi (right), Founder, Ed Leadership

American educator and Educational Director to Jiva, Steven Rudolph has been awarded this year’s Ed Leadership award, an international recognition given by Ed Leadership Foundation, Lucknow “to inspire and support leadership in education.” Steve has been presented with this award for his outstanding contribution in the field of education, directed towards making superior learning environments for children by educating the teachers and parents.

The current Indian education system needs a sea change. This is what every educational leader or policy-maker has been suggesting for the past 62 years of India’s independence. Since India had been a world leader in education in the days of yore, the challenge here has always been to be able to integrate the treasure of ancient knowledge systems with the modern Western views on education.

Steve has been working exactly towards this end. And this award goes a long way in recognising his efforts and in encouraging new faces. As the Director of Jiva Education, Steve has the perfect blend of knowledge and experience with his strong backgrounds in Western educational methodologies and deep understanding of the Indian educational system that came by his study of the Vedas, Puranas and Ayurveda and his numerous interactions with parents, teachers, learners for over 20 years.

The Ed Leadership award carries a cash prize of Rs. 25,000/- and a certificate. It is awarded every year to “recognise, inspire and reward the best teachers, school administrators and volunteers in the world for continually seeking ways to improve the quality of education in a school system.” Ed Leadership Foundation is a non-profit wing of City Montessori School, Lucknow, which is the world’s largest school in terms of number of students on roll within the same city. It was founded in 1959 by Jagdish Gandhi.

Here’s a Flickr photogallery.