What you see – An elevated, open and airy Ayurvedic shop Shree Durga Enterprises that looks right into the street at Jagadamba Junction in Vizag and the friendly greeting from the owner makes our day. It’s unbearably hot outside, so the cool interior, the fragrance of herbs and Ayurvedic medicines and the benevolent smile of the owner are sort of comforting. We watch an assistant who’s putting away Ayurvedic medicines into an attractive paper-bag for a customer, and then look around, agape, at rows of branded Ayurvedic concoctions that are tightly packed on to over-stacked shelves (like a local grocery store!).
What you get - Shree Durga Enterprises, in Vizag since 1983, is a family-owned Ayurvedic medicine shop and is run by S K Jain, who’s also a qualified Yoga teacher(completed a Teachers’ Training Course in Yoga and Pranayama at Baba Ramdev’s Yoga Centre in Haridwar, which explains the large images of Baba Ramdev seen on the walls of the shop and the stock of his yoga demo CDs in Hindi, Telugu and English). Jain conducts voluntary yoga camps on a regular basis and yoga classes, everyday from 5.30 AM to 7 PM, at the Lions Club in Ramnagar.
Apart from Baba Ramdev’s Ayurvedic medicines from his company Divya Pharmacies, the shop also has Ayurevedic medicines from Dabur, Baidyanath, Sandu, Vyaas Pharma, Swadeshi, Gurukul Kangdi and Jamuna Pharmaceuticals. All the kaadas and churans (in powdered and tablet form) are available from these companies. Shree Durga Enterprises also has the fast-moving and popular (lately) Aloe Vera juice (priced from Rs. 185 to Rs. 320 a liter, depending on the brand), Triphala juice (Rs. 100 onwards) and the Amla range of remedies (juice at Rs. 120 a liter and murabba at Rs. 100 a kg).
Jain observes that while Ayurvedic and herbal formulations are a big draw in the North, it’s taken quite awhile for this form of alternative medicine to catch up in Andhra Pradesh, specifically in Vizag. But there is a rise in popularity, thanks to the increasing awareness towards the benefic Ayurvedic, herbal and natural remedies. As if to prove Jain right, we see a constant flow of costumers walking in with a list of prescriptions.
Shree Durga Enterprises also has an in-house consulting room for Ayurvedic treatments – with Ayurvedic consultant Dr. Gaurisankar (BMS-qualified) visiting from 10 PM to 1 PM and from 4 PM to 9 PM.
Our verdict - Ayurveda is fast gaining popularity for its efficacy and natural benefits. Of course, it’s a different matter that the ‘harmful’ lead-poisoning controversy keeps resurfacing once awhile. But that does not deter Shree Durga Enterprises’ increasing line of loyal customers. Owner Jain’s kindly stature and his promise to place an order with the vendor for Ayurvedic medicines, that are not currently stocked, are a big plus. The popular herbal juices, Ayurvedic skin-care products and churans (fast moving) are readily available.
Posted on: Oct 29, 2008
