Today is Rashtriy Chikistak Divas s the Dhanwantari Jayanti-

Today is Rashtriy Chikistak Divas which the NMO calls the Dhanwantari Jayanti- usually people know it as Dhanteras, remembering the pot in which Amrit was brought by Dhanwanatari forgett the Amrit itself.

NMO in its early days(in 1980s) started to celebrate it, howeve4r agterwards some persons persuaded the IMA to celebrate Dr.BC Roy's birth and death day 1st July as 'Doctors' Day.'
I have great admiration of Dr. Roy but at the same time reservations too..if so then why not on the first Indian medical graduate of the Medical College,Kolkata and then who amongst them from that batch- the eldest or youngest?
Even Dr. BC Roy would have loved the proposition of Dhanwantari Jayanti for this day which would have been applicable to all pathys.

The fancy of naming some person for such days is endless eg. Dr. Radhakrishanan's birthday as Teachers' day, celbrated in schools where Radhakrishanan never taught. Some psycophants asjed him and he himself prosposed so( if a modern teacher was to be selected Bal gangadhar Tilak was far appropriate or Mastarda Sury Sen of Chattgram- still our Bengal is 'Paschimobanga' and Mastarda fought for whol Indian nation though Gurupurnima or Vyaspurnima has been in Indian mind for this day and cannot be altered by governmental orders.

Likewise Children Day for Nehru's birthday as was communicated by his father Moltilal Nehru when he was ad-hic president when Jawahar was in jail.

For science Raman's birthday seems no controversy as he was not a political man but then why not JC Bose's? After all Noble have been denied to many and his contribution was in modern day more weighty.

I read once Ram Manohar Lohia had said no person's name be added to any such thing/ institution/ towns unless 300 years have elapsed.

I am sorry. even the RSS people have forgotten this norm and have jumbled up their pratah smaran with myriads of names(though have left Vidyapati likie great poet and warrior with Islamic hordes).

Anyway , today I got up raly morning to have my daily sandhyavandan-tarpan, Panchdevta puja and added for the Day Lord Dhanwantari without telling to go like that of Lord Vishnu whom we never say to go.

It sgould be celebrated when kartik Krishna Trayodashi falls in the morning like tha tof any bath related PUrnima-Sankranti etc.(I feel if that is on two days first day should be taken as birth of the Lord- why He will wait?).

However Dhanteras is to be celebrated when this Trayodashi falls in the evening (as done for Deepawali also)however if it falls on two such days later day's evening is to be taken like that of Pradosh Trayodashi or Chaturdashi of Lord Shiva.
Pradosh is 3 ghadi time इए 72 मिनुतेस after sunset(a muhurta (मुहूर्त) is equal to 2 ghadiyas, or approximately 48 minutes ).( a day is of 60 Ghdis). Many Pamchangs have wrongly put the day on 24rd evening as Dhanwantari jayanti with Dhanteras but in one Hindu Chetna calendar I found 25th today as correct as this morning had some 2 dand 6 pal Trayodashi.

2.5 danda==>1 hr
1 danda---> 24 minutes
60 pal--->1 danda
Interestingly in Hindu system there is no AM/PM but

From sunrise to 1.5 prahars is called Purvanha, then one prahar is madhyanha, then one prahar is aparahna and in then half prahar of evening is Sayanh.

For some festivals pradosh is taken (not the morning tithi which is usually taken) like in the holikadahan, Shardpurnima's Laxmi Pooja..

Probably I ma digressing but let me say that in the Bhagwad one second's 1040th part is taken as the initial unit of time..

Let us have proud in our heritage
Happy Rastriy Chikitsak Divas.
Dr. Dhanakar Tahkur
Organising secretary, NMO