Dr. Mahadevan Seetharaman
A healthcare leader, educator, and Professor at the Hindu University of America, Dr. Mahadevan Seetharaman is the founder of Ayurveda Living, a platform dedicated to advancing awareness of Ayurveda and Yoga worldwide. He has played a significant role in integrative healthcare and Ayurvedic education, serving in leadership positions across major institutions and organizations. A certified Ayurveda Diet & Nutrition Consultant and Yoga Teacher, he holds a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Minnesota and completed post-doctoral research at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Foundation.
On June 19, 2026, history came full circle at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, where a 90-kilogram bronze statue of Maharishi Sushruta was unveiled in the College’s historic Playfair Auditorium. Widely revered as the Father of Surgery, Sushruta now has a permanent presence within the world’s oldest surgical college—an institution founded in 1505 and today connected to more than 33,000 professionals across over 140 countries.
The ceremony brought together leaders from surgery, Ayurveda, academia, and diplomacy. Among those present were Siddharth Malik, Consul General of India in Edinburgh; Dr. Clare McNaught, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh; Professor Rowan Parks, the College’s former president; Professor Chandra Cheruvu, who led the initiative; and Dr. Marc Halpern, Founder of the California College of Ayurveda. The Consulate General of India described the occasion as a celebration of India’s ancient medical heritage, the historic medical links between India and Scotland, and the Royal College’s continuing role in advancing surgical education.
The Cheruvu family also publicly thanked Dr. Halpern, Professor Zameer Pasha, Dr. Ashwin Sawant, and Professor Y.K.S. Viswanath for their participation in this landmark effort.
The statue was donated by the Cheruvu Family Foundation and crafted in Swamimalai, near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, a town internationally known for its ancient bronze-casting tradition. Its journey from a traditional Indian center of sacred craftsmanship to one of Europe’s most distinguished medical institutions added powerful symbolism to the occasion: Indian artistry, Indian knowledge, and global medical history meeting in one enduring monument.
Sushruta is commonly placed around the sixth century BCE and associated with the Sushruta Samhita, one of the earliest and most comprehensive surviving works on medicine and surgery. The text discusses anatomical observation, surgical training, operative procedures, wound and trauma care, reconstructive techniques, ophthalmology, orthopedics, surgical instruments, professional discipline, and medical ethics. Its descriptions of nasal reconstruction are frequently cited among the earliest recorded foundations of plastic and reconstructive surgery.
For Ayurveda, the recognition is especially meaningful because Sushruta’s contribution extended beyond operative technique. His teachings situated surgery within a broader system of health that included prevention, diet, lifestyle, medicinal substances, careful diagnosis, ethical conduct, and individualized patient care. The Edinburgh installation therefore recognizes not only an early surgeon, but also a sophisticated and integrated vision of medicine that remains relevant to healthcare education today.
Dr. Marc Halpern, founder of the California College of Ayurveda and a Visionary Leader, was invited to speak at the ceremony and also contributed a chapter titled “Sage Sushruta Beyond Surgery: Pioneer of Integrative Medicine” to the newly released volume Maharishi Sushruta Compendium – Father of Surgery. Reflecting on the occasion, Dr. Halpern wrote, “It was an honor to speak in Edinburgh at the ceremony at the Royal College of Surgeons.” His participation brought the voice of American Ayurveda education to this international gathering and highlighted the importance of presenting Ayurveda with historical depth, clinical responsibility, and scholarly rigor.
The commemorative compendium, released alongside the statue, gathers contributions from experts in Ayurveda, modern surgery, medical history, Sanskrit, ethics, and integrative medicine. It explores Sushruta’s legacy across fields ranging from reconstructive surgery and ophthalmology to emergency care, orthopedics, women’s health, and medical education.
This was more than the unveiling of a statue. It was a public acknowledgment that the history of medicine is global and that India’s knowledge traditions helped shape humanity’s understanding of healing, surgery, and professional ethics. For Ayurveda, for India, and for institutions such as the California College of Ayurveda working to carry this wisdom forward, June 19, 2026, will be remembered as a proud and historic day.
