Bengaluru :

Usha Prasad, B V Pundit’s granddaughter-in-law, remembers the Ayurveda scholar fondly. She says, “Though I was raised in Kolkata, I was brought up on Nanjangud Tooth Powder. I never used toothpaste in my life.”

B V Pundit was associated with the Ayurveda College in Mysuru. He started Sadvaidyashala, which is celebrating its 100th year, in Nanjangud. Since then, Sadvaidyashala has become synonymous with effective Ayurveda products.

The tooth powder is well-known in Karnataka and outside the State, so much so that the Nanjangud train to Mysuru was called the Tooth Powder Express. The tooth powder is made from paddy husk ash.

Seema Rao, a singer in Bengaluru, finds the company’s Srikara Amodini cough drops soothing when nursing a sore throat. She says, “I learn music and those little pellets soothe my throat and take care of my voice.”

Shankar Prasad, B V Pundit’s grandson, says, “My grandpa was ethical in all his dealings. He was a businessman, but he was a man of integrity and dealt honestly in every business deal.”  B V Pundit was born on February 23, 1887 in Nanjangud.

Pundit used to take the early morning train to Mysuru so he could buy all he needed to make his medicines and then kept his medicines in a small room, which he had rented. He took the evening train back to  Nanjangud. Around 1918, the demand for these medicines increased as Sadvaidyashala’s Kasturi helped people stay healthy during the influenza epidemic in India after the first World War.

Pundit and his family were much liked by people of Nanjangud. He had 12 children – four girls and eight boys. “Sadvaidyashala has completed 100 years and the grandsons and their children are waiting to pass their grandfather’s legacy to future generations,” says grandson and chairman of the company, Dr B V Srikantan.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Papiya Bhattacharya /May 25th, 2015