THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE of Naturopathy (NIN) in Pune has humble origins. Spread across 1.6 acres at Tadiwala road, the NIN had its beginnings in a bungalow, from where eminent naturopath Dr Dinshaw Mehta ran a small clinic since pre-independence days. Originally known as Nature Cure Clinic and Sanatorium, Mehta’s clinic saw many visitors, one among whom was Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi is said to have stayed at the clinic for more than 150 days in 1944. The bungalow was later named as Bapu Bhavan and is now a heritage structure. The NIN came into being in 1989, and its outpatient department is named ‘Dadaji’ Dr Dinshaw Mehta OPD.
“As the treatments here became popular and patients increased, the government of India procured land from the government of Maharashtra in 2014 and the current campus—Nisarg Gram—was constructed,” said Dr D. Satyanath, director of NIN.
The NIN has three main units—a 250-bed hospital, an academic block for naturopathy courses like graduate and postgraduate programmes in naturopathy and yogic sciences affiliated to the Maharashtra University of Health Science, and the OPD. “At present, we have students from 30 colleges as interns,” said Satyanath. NIN also runs fellowship programmes on Gandhian philosophy and certificate courses in fitness training, hydro, chromo, mud and ozone therapy. The institute also offers a certificate programme in mind-body wellness and another in natural lifestyle and natural cooking.
“When patients are here, they get only two meals a day,” said Satyanath. “The human body does not need three meals. So patients here get their first meal at 10.30am, which is a brunch, and the second meal is given before sunset.”
When a patient has more than two meals a day, naturopathy recommends fasting. “Gandhiji underwent 21 days fast under the supervision of Dr Mehta and actually gained weight,” said Satyanath. “He said he would live for 120 years. Now science is recognising the benefits of fasting.”
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Satyanath added that the food is the main medicine along with the other therapies. “We don’t give any drugs, only natural elements,” said Satyanath.
NIN runs a Nisarga Arogya Sadhana Kendra along with Maharashtra government’s tribal welfare department at Gohe village in Pune’s Ambegaon taluka. This facility has a 20-bed hospital and also trains tribal children in naturopathy.