We are a diverse collective united by a shared commitment to nurturing critical thinking and inquiry in medical education. Our group includes scholars and practitioners of Ayurveda, modern biomedical practitioners, educators, clinical researchers, biochemists, and transdisciplinary thinkers with backgrounds in linguistics, physics, anthropology, policy, computer science, chiropractic, bioinformatics, and the creative arts. This breadth of expertise enables us to engage with questions of health, illness, and healing in ways that are both rigorous and pluralistic. Our concern arises from the tendency of mainstream education  — whether within the system of mainstream medicine or within alternative  medical systems such as Ayurveda —…

Aarav, Rohan, and Kabir, three teenagers who had just completed their 11th-grade exams, stepped into the library on a quiet, sunlit afternoon. The sharp click of the glass door closing behind them was absorbed quickly by the thick silence inside. The air smelled faintly of old paper and varnished wood. They had come searching for reading materials for a group project assigned for the summer vacation before their 12th grade commenced. Each of them was leaning toward a career in medicine, though none had yet settled on a specific path. Kabir, who often spoke with a quiet intensity, had been…

A forest Gurukula near the banks of a quiet river. Morning mist still hangs in the trees. The air is cool, filled with birdsong and the smell of damp earth. Golden sunlight filters through the leaves of an old Peepal tree, beneath which sits the physician-teacher, Charaka. In front of him, a dozen young students, newly arrived, sit on mats made of grass and bark. Charaka: My dear students, Before you seek to treat illness, you must first understand life.Before you gather the herbs, you must understand the earth that gives them.Before you study the pulse, you must sense the…

Next evening, at Dr. Azad’s clinic. He is seated on a wooden chair, reading a case sheet. Kabir walks in with the book, followed by Rohan and Aarav. Kabir: Uncle, do you have a moment? We found this book in the library. It is untitled. We just finished the first lesson where Charaka is talking to his students. Dr. Azad: Charaka? As in the Charaka Samhita? Rohan: It is not the original text. It is in English, and it reads more like a dialogue. The teacher and students speak to one another. It feels like a story, but with interesting…

Charaka, the ancient physician and teacher, leads his students to a nearby fig tree. The morning breeze stirs its leaves. Charaka: You have walked the land for a month, through heat and dust, across rain-fed fields, past rivers, and into the shaded groves of the forest. You have seen living beings in their natural habitats- not as you imagined them, but as they truly are. Now tell me: what do you think living creatures need in order to survive? Rohita: Without food and water I cannot survive, and yes, without fresh air to breathe! Charaka: But how did you conclude…

Dr. Azad’s clinic. Photocopies of the mysterious text lie open. The students have just read ‘Lesson 2: From Nature to Doṣa’ from the book. Kabir: We read about Doṣas last evening. Do you think this chapter strictly follows the original Charaka Saṃhitā? Dr. Azad: Well, the mysterious author seems to have cleverly incorporated some portions from Vāgbhaṭa and others from Suśruta too, to present an integrated view of Doṣa, even though the teacher in the book is portrayed as Charaka. There is some degree of creative liberty involved. For example, the text associates Kapha with water through the imagery of…