Pallathadka Keshava Bhat

Pallathadka Keshava Bhat
Born	3 January 1940 Pallathadka, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
Died	25 July 2010
Residence	Manipal, Karnataka, India
Nationality	Indian
Religion	Hindu
Spouse(s)	Devaki Bhat
Children	Pavana Achar (Daughter) Pallathadka Kumara Prasad (Son) Suma Pramod (Daughter) Anasuya Vatsa (Daughter)
Relatives	Pramod Viswanath (Son-in-law)

Pallathadka Keshava Bhat (3 January 1940 - 25 July 2010) (also known as Dr. P. Keshava Bhat) was a retired professor, prominent ethnobotanist, botanist, naturalist, proponent of herbalism, scientist and a well known personality in Venezuela.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]}

Early life

He was born in Pallathadka, Kerala, India on January 3, 1940 to Pallathadka Subraya Bhat and Lakshmi Amma in a Havyaka Brahmin family. He married Devaki and the couple had four children, all born in Cumana, Venezuela. After retirement he lived with his family at Manipal, Karnataka in India.

He graduated from the University of Madras in B.Sc & M.Sc and Ph.D in Botany. He has also worked as a Research Assistant in the Presidency College, Chennai (Earlier Madras) (1966-1968) and obtained the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (C.S.I.R) senior fellowship in 1968-1969. He could speak in 17 languages which include Spanish, Sanskrit, Kannada, German, French etc.^[12]

Career

He taught Botany for both under graduate and post graduate students at Universidad de Oriente, in Cumana, Venezuela and retired in 1987 as a Senior Professor of Botany. He was a Botanist who advocated holistic living and alternate scientific approach. He has also suggested "A New Interpretation of Solar System".^{[1][2][4][18][19][19][20][20][21][22][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][31][32][33][34][35]} In addition to the large number of scientific papers presented both at national and international levels, he has authored several books on various subjects in multiple languages. He extensively propagated consuming simple food and simple living in several countries like Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico etc.^[10]

In 1990 he was elected to a Global Expert Committee on Medicinal Plants of developing countries during the First International Convention of South with colleagues in the field, in Tanzania in 1990. The event was sponsored by the World Health Organization, the South Commission and the Government of Tanzania, among others. He also had a participation in the Earth Summit held in Brazil in June 1992 and at the World Conference on Food and Nutrition, held in Rome in December 1992.^[10][12][13]

Pallathadka Keshava Bhat in 1973 with his disciples in Venezuela

Naturism

Bhat was an ethnobotanist committed to promote the authentic naturism: a simple way to live better. He initiated new educational methods to study natural environment in Venezuela and other countries. He strongly advocated that the solution to health problems, especially in tropical countries, is possible by a proper education to learn to live and implementing a preventive health plan, which results in an overall change in the lifestyle.

In South America, he is better known and recognized as the padre-del-tropical-naturismo (Father of Tropical Naturism).^[10][12][13]

He advocated native food and spread the message of simple food and his method was recognized as "naturism". Respecting water, wind, plant and animals was part of his naturism and eating simple food, following simple way of life were the messages of his naturism.^[10]

References

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