Professor's library has rare collection of books

Warangal: His veritable treasure trove of books could well be an oasis for naturopathy researchers. The collection of journals and books showcase the range and enthusiasms the retired Prof G Rameshwaram from Kakatiya University (KU) has.

The very first glimpse of framed vintage photographs of naturopathy doyens – from doctors to writers – that adorned the walls of his residence catch you imagining what this Public Administration Professor is all about.

Prof Rameshwaram, who hails from Kuravi in Mahabubabad district, has developed an interest in traditional systems of medicine some three decades ago. While pursuing his PhD thesis - Medical and Health Administration in Rural Areas, he had learnt that very little research is done in traditional systems of medicine such as Naturopathy, Ayurveda and Yoga etc.

Since then he became an avid collector of naturopathy books besides attending national and international seminars and conferences.
So far, he has submitted 30-odd research papers.

Now he is a proud possessor of over 2,000 titles and 3,000 issues of journals. Among them, 50-odd journals (published between 1990 and 2018) of naturopathy which are rarely available in the possession of an individual in the country.

The collection of his books varies in six languages. This apart, majority of his collections belong to British era. Rogaroya Vivekam, a translation work in Telugu that originally written in German and then to English published in 1887 is one of his rare collections.

What is interesting is that Prof Rameshwaram, who spent better part of his finances for collecting a repertoire of books, now wants to make them available to those people, who are interested in naturopathy research and reading, free of cost. He turned a hall in his residence into a library.

Speaking to The Hans India, 62-year-old Prof Rameshwaram said: “Since 1990, my focus is on identification, collection, preservation and propagation of Indian naturopathy literary work. Naturopathy is an alternative system of disease elimination without using any drugs or medicines.”

From tomorrow onwards (July 24), those interested in naturopathy can access my collection of books between 4 pm and 7 pm. I have kept a guestroom as well for the facility of those coming from far flung places to carry their research on this neglected subject, he said.

It may be worth mentioning that Prof Rameshwaram wrote three books – Bibliography on Naturopathy of India (1995), Glossary of Naturopathy (1995), and Pioneers of Telugu in Naturopathy (2012).

Director of National Institute of Naturopathy, Pune Prof K Satya Laxmi, Global Open University Chancellor Prof Shyam Narayan Pandey, Kaloji Health University Vice-Chancellor K Karunakar Reddy and KU Vice-Chancellor R Sayanna will be present on the occasion of the inauguration of Prof Rameshwaram’s library on Tuesday.