Shri BhavarLal Dugar Ayurved Vishwabharti (SBLD)

Healthcare systems are often approached primarily through the treatment of disease after symptoms become serious.

Ayurveda contributes another important dimension by emphasising prevention, balance and disciplined living. It examines the relationship between food, routine, environment, physical constitution and wellbeing.

This perspective aligns with SHAPE Foundation’s Health and Sanyam domain, which views health as more than the absence of illness. Health also depends on awareness, self-regulation, responsible habits and harmony between the body, mind and environment.

However, for Ayurvedic medicines to reach wider communities, institutions require reliable infrastructure, quality-control systems, trained professionals and appropriate production capacity. SBLD’s planned modernisation seeks to respond to this institutional need.

The Ayurvedic college at SBLD provides an institutional base for the study and continuation of Ayurvedic knowledge.

Education is important because the responsible use of Ayurveda requires more than familiarity with traditional remedies. It requires structured learning, an understanding of formulations and clarity about appropriate application.

The connection between an Ayurvedic college and an operational pharmacy is especially valuable. Students and practitioners can observe how knowledge moves from study to formulation, manufacturing, quality management and eventual public use.

This integrated environment can also support future research, documentation and improvement in production practices.

SBLD’s pharmacy holds valuable traditional formulations developed and preserved through the institution’s Ayurvedic work.

A pharmacy linked to an educational institution can serve several purposes. It can manufacture established formulations, support practical learning and help make Ayurvedic medicines available to communities.

The existing pharmacy provides SBLD with an important operational foundation. However, traditional knowledge alone is not sufficient for larger-scale production. The proposed expansion aims to strengthen these areas while retaining the institution’s foundation in traditional Ayurvedic knowledge.

SBLD holds a valuable body of traditional knowledge developed through its work in Ayurveda. During the COVID-19 period, SHAPE Foundation supported the institution in producing Sarwajhwarhar, an Ayurvedic immunity-support formulation.

The COVID-19 period created an urgent need for public-health support, preventive awareness and immunity-related interventions. During this time, SBLD used its Ayurvedic knowledge and pharmacy capabilities to produce Sarwajhwarhar.

SHAPE Foundation provided critical assistance that enabled the institution to manufacture the formulation in significant quantities. This support helped SBLD move beyond limited production and respond to a much wider need. Sarwajhwarhar was subsequently distributed across India.

The project also showed how traditional healthcare institutions can contribute during times of national need when supported with timely resources.

SHAPE Foundation supported SBLD during the COVID-19 period by helping the institution strengthen production of Sarwajhwarhar. The support enabled large-scale manufacturing and distribution at a time when communities across the country were seeking preventive-health and immunity-related support.

This intervention aligns with SHAPE Foundation’s Health and Sanyam domain. SHAPE’s approach to health recognises the value of preventive healthcare, accessible treatment, traditional knowledge, responsible living, health awareness, institutional capacity building, and long-term community wellbeing.

Rather than creating a temporary intervention disconnected from the institution, the support helped strengthen an existing Ayurvedic college and pharmacy. The partnership also created a foundation for considering how SBLD’s production facilities could be improved for long-term use.

SBLD now intends to modernise and expand its production facilities. The proposed development includes the addition of improved machinery and stronger production systems so that its traditional formulations can be produced with greater consistency, quality and reach.

The institution has identified the need for improved machinery and additional working capital. These resources can help the pharmacy move towards more reliable and organised production.

Modern machinery does not replace traditional knowledge. Instead, it can help ensure that traditional formulations are produced more consistently and responsibly. This is especially important when medicines are intended for wider public distribution.

A stronger production system can also create opportunities for future products, research collaboration and healthcare partnerships.

As SBLD expands its production, quality and documentation will be important areas of development. The credibility of Ayurvedic products depends on the consistency of ingredients, production methods, storage and final formulation.

SBLD’s educational foundation gives it the potential to connect medicine production with research and learning. Over time, the institution may also explore collaboration with hospitals, universities, research organisations and other Ayurvedic institutions.

Such partnerships can help strengthen the evidence, documentation and public understanding associated with traditional formulations.

SBLD’s work has the potential to benefit several groups across Rajasthan and beyond. The COVID-period production of Sarwajhwarhar demonstrated the institution’s ability to reach people beyond its immediate location. With improved machinery and production systems, SBLD may be able to expand this reach further.

The project’s intended impact includes preservation of Ayurvedic knowledge, greater availability of traditional formulations, stronger Ayurvedic education, improved production capacity, support for preventive healthcare, better institutional sustainability, and increased opportunities for research and documentation.