Argentine Ambassador of Ayurveda

When I share the stage for speeches with Dr Sergio Lais- Suarez of Argentina, I confess to the audience that he is more Indian than me. He is vegetarian, teetotaler, practices yoga and meditation every day, has profound knowledge of Indian philosophy and traditions, has been practicing, teaching and promoting Ayurveda for the last thirty two years and is passionate about India.

Here are the Ayurvedic credentials of Dr Sergio, who is a pioneer in introducing Ayurveda in Argentina and Latin America:

-Chairman & Professor of Ayurveda Medicine at UAI University and Ayurveda Professor at Catholic University

-Founder of the First Governmental Commiitee to Study Ayurveda in Argentina. 1987

-Founder & Medical Director of SPASISIMO, the First Latin-American Ayurvedic Health Resort and Spa in Argentina. 1996
-Founder of the Institute of Natural Law of Cordoba, Argentina.

-Founder of the First Post-Graduate Training for Medical Doctors on Ayurveda Medicine in a Latin American University. 1996

-Organizing Chairman and President of the First Argentine Symposium on the Ayurvedic Technology of Unified Field, Cordoba and later at Mendoza province

-Founder of Ayurvedic Teaching Centers in several provinces of Argentina

-Has done over 50 programmes in the media about Ayurvedic Sciences.

-Founder of "Veda Press" to spread Ayurvedic Knowledge.

-Founder of NATURAL VANGUARD, Laboratory for Ayurvedic Products, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Sergio's passion for Ayurveda started in 1980 when he attended the International Seminar on Vedic Science organized in New Delhi. After his return, he wanted to introduce Ayurveda in Argentina. But it was completely unknown here and he had to struggle to convince the Argentines. He had succeeded in this due to his background as a doctor himself. He is an oncologist and a surgeon. He persuaded the Universidad Abierta Interamericana ( UAI ), Buenos Aires in 1996 to open a Department of Ayurveda Medicine which started the First One Year Post-Graduate Course in Ayurveda for Medical Doctors. Following the success of this, the University of Buenos Aires opened an Ayurvedic course in 2000 and then the University of Maimonides in Buenos Aires city in 2002. Later in 2009, the Medical School of the Catholic University started a pre-degree Course on Ayurveda Medicine and in 2010 the Cordoba University also opened a Ayurveda course for medical doctors.

In 1996 Dr Sergio opened the First Ayurvedic Health Resort & Spa with a 40-room hotel at Villa La Paisanita on the outskirts of Cordoba in a scenic spot on the bank of a stream and surrounded by hills and greenery.The spa offered full fledged treatments for health recovery and antistress. This attracted celebrities, top business and political leaders and raised the profile of Ayurveda in Argentina.

Here is the picture of the spa..

In 1987 Dr Sergio was part of a team selected by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to train 350 Medical Doctors in Ayurvedic Medicine in a Public Hospital in Goias state of Brazil. The team included Ayurvedic doctors from India and coordinated by Vaidya Gopinath Raju from Hyderabad. The team also taught Ayurvedic Medical Meditation and Antistress techniques to the military police in several cities of Brazil. Dr Sergio recalls the incredible scene of the police,with their uniform and guns, seated in large groups with eyes closed practising Meditation twice a day.These two programmes, which became successful, have made Ayurveda popular in Brazil.

The success of Sergio's Ayurvedic work in Argentina and Brazil opened the doors of other Latin American countries. He has been giving lectures across the region and his series of interviews on FOX Latin America TV Channel has raised the profile of Ayurveda in the region as a whole.

Dr Sergio has given lectures as guest speaker on Ayurveda in universities and non-governmental organizations in USA and Japan too.

Dr Sergio's work has been recognized in India and he has been honored with "Dhanvantari Award" at the Gujarat Ayurveda University. He was Co-Chairman and Speaker at the International Seminar on Vedic Sciences and Ayurveda, organized by the Gujarat University in 2000. He has given a talk on Vedic Sciences & Ayurveda at the Benares Hindu University and in the "International Seminar for Promotion of Ayurveda Medicine", organized by the Enterpreneurship Development Institute, Ahmedabad. He is an International Advisor in the board of "Journal of Research on Ayurveda" published from Gujarat. He has signed Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration with Gujarat Ayurved University and Manipal Ayurvedic College.

Dr Sergio receiving the Dhanvantari award from Shri Ashok Bhatt Gujrat Health Minister on 7 January 2000 ...in the picture below

Dr Sergio gave inspiring talks at the Ayurveda seminars organized by the Embassy of India in Buenos Aires as part of the Festival of India every year since 2008. The auditorium was always full and the audience had interacted enthusiastically with the speakers.

Dr Sergio' s mission is to get Ayurveda accepted officially and legally as an alternative system of medicine in Argentina and in Latin America. This is where he needs the support of India with scientific documentation, public promotion activities such as seminars and registration of Ayurvedic medicines with the local regulatory authorities.

Dr Sergio will give a talk at the Seventh Nutra India Summit 15-17 March 2012 in Bengaluru on " Ayurveda in Latin America" . He has been invited by the pharmaceutical export promotion council of India to this Summit.

In recognition of his passion for India, Dr Sergio has been made the Honorary Consul of India for Cordoba and other interior provinces of Argentina since 2007. He has taken up this job seriously and has been organizing a number of events and giving speeches promoting India- Argentina relations especially in culture and business. When Dr Sergio speaks about India, in his native Argentine accent with jokes and anecdotes, India's image gets more boost than that of any Indian speech.

Dr Sergio is an Indian in spirit, honorary consul in protocol but more than these, he is an Ambassador of Ayurveda...