The Ministry of Ayush will inaugurate the 9th Siddha Day celebrations in Chennai on January 3, ahead of the annual observance of National Siddha Day on January 6. The event will be held at Kalaivanar Arangam and is being organised in association with the National Institute of Siddha (NIS), the Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS), and the Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy, Government of Tamil Nadu.
Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan will preside over and inaugurate the celebrations. The inaugural function will also be attended by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush Prataprao Jadhav, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramanian, Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Tamil Nadu Health Principal Secretary P. Senthil Kumar, and Director of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy M. Vijayalakshmi.
The theme of this year’s celebrations, “Siddha for Global Health,” highlights the growing relevance of the ancient Indian healing system in addressing contemporary global health challenges. Siddha Day is observed every year on January 6 to mark the birth anniversary of Sage Agathiyar, regarded as the father of Siddha medicine.
The event will bring together Siddha practitioners, scientists, academicians, scholars and students from across Tamil Nadu and other states. Researchers from NIS and CCRS, members of Siddha statutory bodies, officials from the Ministry of Ayush and the Tamil Nadu government, and students from government and self-financing Siddha medical colleges in Tamil Nadu and Kerala are expected to participate.
As part of the celebrations, the Ministry of Ayush will honour five eminent personalities for their outstanding contributions to the Siddha system of medicine.
The programme will showcase the role of Siddha medicine in preventive healthcare, research and wellness, and aims to raise public awareness while reinforcing government efforts to strengthen Siddha’s integration into healthcare delivery, research collaboration and academic development. The celebrations also underline the Ministry’s focus on promoting India’s traditional systems of medicine at both national and global levels.
