A degree takes you there; but it is the drive that lets you conquer. This is the moral of the success story of Late Dr. P.K. Warrier, Managing Trustee of Arya Vaidya Sala (AVS), Kottakkal, Kerala. He did not possess a management degree, yet he steered AVS, a village Ayurvedic clinic to the eminence of a global healthcare brand. For him management was all about treading with cautious path. “Businesses have to alter their attitudes and experiment with new approaches to manoeuvre through tough terrains” he used to say. Dr. Warrier passed away on July 10, 2021 soon after celebrating his centenary birthday a month before. In a nutshell, he was a healer and humanist and these qualities had won him laurels including the Padmabhushan, a top civilian award of the Government of India.
Dr. Warrier who aspired to be an engineer, was attracted to the Indian freedom movement and became an active participant. Bowing to the family’s pressure, he took over the reins of AVS in the year 1954. He was through the thick and thin of this family business since then. If the turnover of AVS was Rs.9 lakhs then and Rs. 400 crores now. AVS has a pan India presence through 25 branches and 1650 authorised dealers. It runs three hospitals at Kottakkal, Kochi and Delhi and an Ayurvedic college affiliated to the University of Kerala. The brand Kottakkal is also present in Gulf countries, the US and Australia.

History speaks
In olden days, Ayurvedic treatment was offered at physicians’’ homes. This was so, as the treatment was customised to the individuals and had to be reviewed periodically. With modes of transport yet to be developed, moving a sick person from place to place was not that easy. Mythology says that even the gods used to descend to the physicians’ homes to avail the treatment. Incidentally, when many medicine systems treat the symptoms of the diseases, Ayurveda addresses the root cause of and concentrates on improving the immune system.
As the number of patients increased with time, getting treated at physicians’ residence became unfeasible. This lead to the setting up of clinics. AVS founded in 1902, too was one such clinic. The patients could visit the nearest clinic and get treated. Storage of medicines at the clinic also became a necessity. In 1930 AVS started retailing its medicines through clinics and outlets.
In 1971 Government of India fixed standards for qualification in Indian medicine and recognized various forms of traditional practice including Ayurveda. This considerably boosted the demand for learning of Ayurveda. Kottakkal Ayurveda College thus gained prominence.
Out of Box Thinking
Dr. P.K. Warrier’s elevation to the helm of this family business happened all on a sudden, following the demise of his elder brother in an air crash. Usually managing a family business is a smooth affair, as there would be a platform already existing and one only needs to build on it. But an out of box thinker as he was, Dr. Warrier wanted to flip and scale the business. He knew that the diseases as also the treatment was getting complex day by day and innovations and disruptions only could make Ayurveda stay relevant. He decided to fuse traditional principles of Ayurveda with trendy outlook and methodologies. Innovative steps implemented at AVS include:-

While technology was introduced to improve the user experience, Dr. Warrier was keen that the fundamental principles and concepts are not compromised. It is said that Warrier personally checked the quality of preparations. If any ingredient is in short supply, the substitutes are not used in the factories.
Dr. P.K Warrier is no more. But his endorsement for change management would remain a case study.

References:
Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal Official Website https://www.aryavaidyasala.com/
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Mathrubhumi-Print Edition-11th July 2021
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