Srinagar, Sep 28 (KNS): A two-day national conference on the recognition and preservation of non-codified traditional healing knowledge began at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) on Sunday, bringing together traditional healers, researchers, academicians and experts from across the country.

The conference, titled "Himalayan Healers: Non-Codified Healers Recognition and Policy", is being held at the Faculty of Forestry, SKUAST-K, with discussions focusing on the documentation, validation and preservation of indigenous healing practices.

Prof Sunita Reddy of Jawaharlal Nehru University, who delivered the welcome address and provided an overview of the conference theme, stressed the need for a dedicated policy framework to recognise and preserve traditional healing knowledge.

She said such platforms could help bring together diverse healing traditions and facilitate the exchange of knowledge among practitioners, researchers and academics.

Prof Syed Naseem Geelani, Head of the SBS Division and organising secretary of the conference, highlighted the contribution of traditional healers whose knowledge has been transmitted through generations without being formally documented.

He said many traditional healers acquire their expertise through years of observation and practical experience, underscoring the need to recognise and systematically document such experiential knowledge.

Guest of Honour Prof Shalina Mehta, former Professor of Anthropology at Panjab University, spoke about Amchi healing practices and traditional knowledge systems followed by practitioners in Ladakh, Spiti, Zanskar, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibetan regions.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

Bharat Lal, former Secretary General and CEO of the National Human Rights Commission, who joined the conference online as Chief Guest, encouraged scholars and organisers to work towards producing findings that could contribute to an appropriate policy framework for the recognition and preservation of traditional healing knowledge.

Prof Amitabh Pandey, Director of the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), emphasised the role of researchers in scientifically documenting and studying the knowledge and practices of traditional healer communities.

He also stressed the need to examine the diversity of medicinal plants associated with different forest ecosystems, particularly in regions where traditional healers continue to use such resources for community healthcare.

Pandey called for systematic documentation of medicinal plant resources as part of efforts towards their conservation and the promotion of sustainable livelihoods.

The conference aims to provide a platform for dialogue among traditional practitioners, researchers and policymakers on ways to document indigenous healing traditions while exploring mechanisms for their recognition and preservation.

The inaugural programme concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Saba Farhin.(KNS)