Vaidyabhooshanam K. Raghavan Thirumulpad was an Ayurvedic

Ayurveda

Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...

 scholar and physician hailing from Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

, the southern state of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. He was born on 20 May 1920 at Chingoli

Chingoli

Chingoli is an urbanised village which lies near Haripad town in Alappuzha district of Kerala.It is an amalgamation of both modern city life style and traditional values of Kerala- How to visit :Chingoli can be accessed by road and rail...

, Alappuzha District

Alappuzha district

Alappuzha is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala in India. It was formed as Alleppey District on August 17, 1957. The name of the district was officially changed to Alappuzha in 1990. The district is a widely known tourist destination, and is well known for its coir factories. Most of...

 of Kerala. He died on 21 November 2010 at the age of 90 at his residence in Chalakudi.

Thirumulpad studied Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

, Tharkam (Indian Philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

), Jyothisham (Indian astrology

Astrology

Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...

) and Vyakarana (Grammar

Grammar

In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...

) under various teachers. Later he studied Ayurveda under Shri. P.Vasudevan Nambisan and passed the graduation exam called Vaidyabhooshanam. From a very young age he was attracted by Gandhian thought and living and started using and propagating Khadi

Khadi

The term khādī or khaddar means cotton. khādī is Indian handspun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called a charkha. It is a versatile fabric, cool in the summer and warm in the winter...

(the hand-woven cotton fabric which once symbolised Indian nationalism).

Raghavan Thirumulpad was very much influenced by Ruskin

John Ruskin

John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...

's essay, Unto This Last

Unto This Last

Unto This Last is an essay on economy by John Ruskin, first published in December 1860 in the monthly journal Cornhill Magazine in four articles. Ruskin says himself that these articles were "very violently criticized", forcing the publisher to stop the publication after four months. Subscribers...

, and tried to implement its ethos in his day-to-day practise of medicine. This was a shift in the trend of ayurvedic practise that prevailed all over India in that time. He gave more stress to the life-style modifications in his treatment and the least importance was given to medicine. Maximum stress was laid on the importance of physical exercise in the prevention of diseases. He promoted a style highlighting wholesome food, sound sleep, moderated sex and optimal exercise as the four pillars on which a healthy life is built. Thirumulpad taught a number of young ayurvedic graduates to practise ayurveda in a more logical scientific but simple style. He resided during his lifetime at Chalakudy

Chalakudy

Chalakudy is a municipal town situated on the banks of Chalakudy River in Thrissur District of the Kerala State in India. It is the base camp for travellers to Athirappilly and Vazhachal Falls...

.

V.K.R.T.Foundation consisting of his students celebrated his 90th birthday on May 23, 2010 at Chalakudy as "Navathi Pranamam".Many important personalities including Dr.Rajan Gurukkal, V.C., M.G.University, Dr.K.G.Poulose, V.C.Kerala Kalamandalam, Dr.C.Ratnakaran, Pro.V.C.Kerala University of Health participated. Releasing of 9 of this books was the highlight of the occasion.

On Jan 25, 2011, the Ayruveda Acharyan was awarded Padma Bhushan

Padma Bhushan

The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...

posthumously, 2 months after his death. Many people felt he should have been given this honour much before when he was alive.