Introduction

In this edition of Homeopathic Pulse, our guest of honour is Prof. Dr. V.K. Gupta who is
former Honorary Physician to the President of India. He has also been the Principal and
Medical Superintendant of Nehru Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, New elhi.
He was the first !ssistant irector and eputy irector "Homeopathy# ISM $H, Go%t of
elhi. Now he is President of Honour of Indian Institute of Homeopathic Physicians"a
national professional organisation #. He is an eminent Homeopathic physician of
international repute. He was bestowed with the National Honour of Padma Shri in
Medicine"Homeopathy# on !pril &',&'(). His relentless efforts to promote and propagate
Homeopathy continue e%en today at the age of *(. He is acti%ely engaged in research and
presently is chairman of special committee on clinical research of Central Council +or
,esearch in Homeopathy. He is also a member of %arious committees in the epartment
of !-.SH , Ministry of Health and +amily /elfare, Go%ernment of India etc. to raise the
bar of Homeopathy and ser%e the community.
0et1s e2plore the inspiring 3ourney of Prof.r.Gupta as one of the leading and most sought
after homeopath of the country.
Q1Did you always want to be a homeopathic doctor?
I always wanted to be a doctor but homeopathy was not among my goals. I did higher
secondary with science and biology in 4ota , ,a3asthan. I studied science in Hindi. So
when we mo%ed to elhi, there was no way I could score as well as other students who
had been studying in 5nglish medium. So I couldn1t get admission in an !llopathic
College. My family used to consult a Homeopathic physician, r. ,.P 6hatnagar"class
fellow of r.Girendra Pal of 7aipur#. It was through him that the idea of pursuing
Homeopathy germinated. I enrolled myself for fi%e and a half years of homeopathic degree
course in Go%ernment National Homeopathic Medical College in 0uc8now, .P which was
affiliated to 4anpur .ni%ersity.
Since then there has been no loo8ing bac8. I belie%e it was part of the grand plan of God.
/hat appeared to be a failure at that time was a blessing in disguise. 9oday I am glad
homeopathy happened to me. I ha%e been able to contribute tremendously to Homeopathy
and it has gi%en me bac8 so much of name, fame and respect. It has been a gi%e and ta8e
relationship which is growing richer with each year of my life.
Q2 hat was the status of homeopathic education at your time?
/hen I was a student, there was ordinary infrastructure and minimal opportunities. 6ut our
college was attached to State Go%ernment Hospital due to which we got the opportunity
for clinical training in %arious allied sub3ects. So our clinical e2posure was %ery good.
Moreo%er, we were amply clear that we need to wor8 hard so we did lot of self study.
In those days, e%en the attitude of people towards Homoeopathy was lu8ewarm. 6ut now
there is a tremendous change and Homoeopaths en3oy a respectable status in society. In
fact, these days, people are loo8ing for competent homoeopaths for the treatment of their
difficult and intractable illnesses. Many people e%en prefer Homoeopathy as first line of
treatment in acute as well as in chronic diseases.
Q! "omin# to the main $uestion %&ehru Homeopathic 'edical "olle#e had a rebirth
under your leadership. Please share with us your stru##les and chan#es you
brou#ht about as the principal of the "olle#e.
I 3oined Nehru Homeopathic Medical College in (:*( and became its principal in (:;<.In
these years of wor8ing with r..P.,astogi, who was the principal at that time, I had
obser%ed the attitude of the students and the gaps in the college. 9hese years were
enough to build my %ision. So by the time I too8 o%er as the Principal, I was clear what
e2actly I needed to do.
=ne thing I had obser%ed in my students was lac8 of confidence. 9hey didn1t treat
themsel%es or the profession with so much of respect. 9hey were happy to settle for petty
3obs. 0ifting their confidence was my priority. So I created means and opportunities for
them to become s8illed and trained homeopaths. I addressed my students and as8ed
them straight, >How many of you fear hard wor8? If any one of you thin8s that Homeopathy
is easy and you can shir8 hard wor8, please @uit it right now.A
I made them ready for hard wor8 and moti%ated them to e2cel. 9hen we too8 the first step
towards e2cellence. +or the first time in the history of homeopathy in India, students began
the wor8 of Bissertation1. It was not an option but compulsory part of the degree in Nehru
homeopathic medical college. 9hus a compulsory dissertation wor8 was initiated,
moti%ated and implemented during internship so that students could obtain in depth
8nowledge of a particular sub3ect. NHMC being the first college to do so, I faced much
resistance from both the faculty and students. 6ut soon the results con%inced e%erybody
that it will benefit the students and the entire fraternity of Homeopathy. 9he research wor8
aroused intellectual curiosity, creati%ity and healthy competition among interns as well as
faculty members. 9he creati%e thin8ing prompted young doctors to ta8e up literary,
statistical, clinical, basic research wor8 and ad%anced study in the field of homoeopathy.
5%ery wee8 the students would ha%e a clinical meet where they would be encouraged to
tal8 about their successes and failures in treating %arious cases and see8ing the ideas of
their fellow students and teachers. 9his helped them to rectify their mista8es and arri%e at
more accurate diagnosis with time. 9hus Bcollecti%e wisdom1 was used to gain in depth
understanding of conditions li8e HIC, alcoholism, drug deDaddiction etc.
Homeopathic Materia Medica is taught, learnt but one de%elops confidence only when a
homeopath feels Ee2periences materia medica through drug pro%ing. Students $ staff
members of NHMC participated willingly in the pro%ing of a new drug Catharanthus
roseus" Cinca rosea#
.
Q( as there a particular brea)throu#h that you are especially proud of as the
principal of &H'"?
I feel proud to tell you that more than three hundred dissertations were presented by my
students when I was the Principal of the college. 9he students gradually from being B7ac8
of all trades and master of none1 began to see themsel%es as ha%ing a special interest in
!rthritis, Citiligo , Mental ,etardation, 6ronchial !sthma, Psoriasis etc. and many other
areas. 9here was sufficient clinical material for the students to learn from. More
importantly it ga%e us a wonderful platform to build upon the statistics for %arious diseases.
=ne of our students, an Intern from NHMC, New elhi, did a dissertation on F In-depth
study of Phosphorus* from 4ent1s ,epertory which was widely acclaimed e%en by the
!ustralian Homoeopathic delegation that %isited our college. !s a result, I was in%ited to
address them in their country.
r. 7.P.S. 6a8shi, an intern for e2ample too8 up rug eDaddiction as a sub3ect of
dissertation and on one occasion was to attend a seminar conducted on drugDtraffic8ing by
the epartment of Narcotic cell at the Parliament !nne2e. /e had the opportunity to meet
Mrs. 4iran 6edi , IPS, who was the Commissioner of Narcotics epartment. She was
impressed by the presentation and ga%e the interns an opportunity to wor8 with some drug
addicted con%icts who were detained in a couple of police stations in elhi. !t the end of
one year she found the wor8 %ery encouraging and was %ery glad with the outcome.
In fact, Mrs. 4iran 6edi, IPS, was also instrumental in finding a place for the students at
the 9ihar 7ail when she was the Commissioner of that 3ail. 9hat time the authorities of the
3ail did not ha%e enough funds to buy Homoeopathic medicines or arrange for doctors. Mrs
4iran 6edi wrote to the Nehru Homoeopathic Medical College for support. /e were happy
to send recently passed out graduates to help the inmates to get o%er with drug addiction,
and %arious other ailments. 6y the end of the year, the results were amaGing. It was then
that the Committee of the 3ail arranged for finances from the Go%ernment to continue with
the practice of Homoeopathy in 9ihar 3ail. In the years to come, r. P ,astogi, irector
of CC,H, followed up the pro3ect by pursuing research acti%ity in drug deDaddiction at the
9ihar 3ail.
!fter the successful completion of the internship, ma3ority of the Nehruites get absorbed
by Go%ernment, NG=s, reputed Public and Pri%ate Sector =rganiGations . I feel proud
that Nehruites ha%e risen to the stature of being co%eted professionals.
Q+ How did the new practices initiated by you in &H'" impact the "olle#e?
9he wor8 of dissertation had huge impact. It brought national and international recognition
to NHMC.
Nehru Homoeopathic Medical College $ Hospital got affiliated with .ni%ersity of elhi in
the year (::& during my tenure as Principal and Medical Superintendent. 9his helped to
enhance the academic standard of NHMC and brought credibility to its e2amination
system. NHMC is the first e%er and only Homoeopathic Medical College in the country to
be affiliated to the Central .ni%ersity. In a recent sur%ey, .ni%ersity of elhi is ran8ed ;( in
the !sian .ni%ersities.
/hat started as a practice to ma8e NHMC an institution that produces s8illed homeopaths,
led to a ma3or research wor8 in homeopathy raising its bar by manifolds. =ur dissertations
were published in many medical 3ournals in India as well as abroad. More and more
intelligent youngsters began to get attracted to homeopathy. ,esearch and hard wor8
became a norm of underta8ing a course in homeopathy. NHMC also holds the credit for
the rapid brea8throughs in homeopathy in India.
Not only this, the practice of dissertation brought International acclaim to NHMC. Many
representati%es of colleges in India and abroad began to emulate our way of teaching. I
was in%ited by homeopathic societies and colleges in countries li8e Norway , Malaysia and
!ustralia to address the student and teaching fraternity. NHMC became a role model of
sorts.
/hen I loo8 bac8 at those yearsH I can say with pride that I ha%e left a legacy which will
benefit generations to come.
Q, -rom your years of e.perience as a practitioner and as a leader in homeopathy%
what do you thin) can ma)e a homeopath stand apart?
/hen you treat a patient, you don1t treat him in parts. -ou treat him as a Fwhole//. 9his is
what ma8es Homeopathy such an effecti%e form of medicine and the ability of a
homeopath to understand his patient holistically is what ma8es him stand apart.
9his classical approach was included in the teaching practices at NHMC under my
guidance. 9he result was a &' page standardiGed Bcase ta8ing proforma1 .9his was uniform
for all sub3ects of the 6.H.M.S. egree course leading to integration of 8nowledge in
%arious allied and homeopathic sub3ects . It helped ma8ing education Homoeopathically
oriented with e2cellent therapeutic results. It led to systematic case ta8ing which brought
about greater rationaliGation to the art of prescribing.
In teaching programme emphasis is laid on the aphorism three of the =rganon which
directs that =ne, 8nowledge of the diseaseH 9wo, 8nowledge of the medicineH 9hree,
application of the medicine in diseaseH +ourth, identify obstacles to cure and lastly the
ability to remo%e those obstacles.
Q0 Sir% you ha1e been a mentor to thousands of students and doctors. hom do
you consider as your mentor?
Padma Shri 0ate r .4.G. Sa2ena is my mentor who ga%e me the platform to soar up in
the s8y .It was he, whose tireless efforts brought official recognition to Homeopathy in
India. He was the first Homeopathic physician to the first President of India and first
honorary ad%isor to the Go%ernment of India. He was the one who persuaded me to 3oin
Indian Institute of Homeopathic Physicians "IIHP#, a registered body of professionals
ha%ing a standing of more than *' years. He also proposed my name for the position of
National President of IIHP.I ser%ed IIHP as the National President for two consecuti%e
terms i.e. (::;D&''' and &'''D&''&. 7oining IIHP was li8e opening up of a whole new
world for me. My horiGon widened and thus was born the desire to ma8e a difference to
the community at large through homeopathy. I got %arious opportunities to wor8 for the
country and learn in depth. =ne of it was heading the team which recommended
Phosphorus as the Genus 5pidemicus remedy during the (::< pneumonic plague
outbrea8 in elhi. 9he elhi go%ernment accepted this recommendation and it was found
to be effecti%e in controlling the epidemic.
9he recognition of my efforts and contribution to homeopathy in the form of so many
awards especially Padma Shri would not ha%e happened had I not got these opportunities.
So I owe a lot to r. Sa2ena.
Q2 hat is the )ind of future you for see for homeopathy both in 3ndia as well as
worldwide?
Homeopathy is being practised in more than :' countries all o%er the world. 6eing highly
efficacious, ecofriendly and ha%ing an unparallel safety profile, thus Homoeopathy is
gaining uni%ersal acceptance. ! highly commendable infrastructure in the form of (;I
medical colleges with regulatory mechanism for @uality uni%ersity education, autonomous
research council with )& institutes Eunits ,about &,&<,&*: registered medical practitioners,
drug safety regulations with <(< drug manufacturing units ,ha%e been established in India.
So I en%isage a bright future for our system of Medicine. !t the same we need a lot of
ground to co%er and some hard wor8 to do in order to get there. /e need to pull up our
soc8s and pro%ide @uality education. It is time we attract the best of talent with an aptitude
for teaching to the academic colleges. It is time the Principal of e%ery institution feels
responsible for his students and is a good teacher and an administratorH 3ust as e%ery
father feels concerned about his children. It is time the best of Homoeopathic practitioners
who ha%e made a name for themsel%es because of this science feel responsible to gi%e
bac8 to their profession. /hen they feel responsible to repay the debt and in%est in
Homoeopathic research fifty years from now, Homoeopathy would be at the pinnacle of
glory ser%ing the humanity.
Q4 hat would you li)e to say youn# enthusiastic doctors who want to foray into
Homeopathy?
I want to share my success mantra with the young generationD"5SHDCommitment,
!ttitude , Ser%ice to Society and Hard /or8. If one has these attributes, then s8y is the
limit. So mo%e ahead with commitment, 8eep positi%e attitude under all circumstances,
in%est all the possible hard wor8, contribute to the society for 60ISS.
/ith C!SH, you will ne%er be poor, ne%er in dearth of opportunities. Infact, you will be
among the wealthiest in the world. !ll the 6estJ

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