Shadhana Oushadhalaya: The 111-year legacy of Bengal's Ayurvedic pioneer

In Gandaria, Dhaka, inside a modest room within the large factory at 71 Dinanath Sen Road, Jogesh Chandra Ghosh sat beneath a dim yellow 40-watt bulb, writing down a formula for a new medicine. Wrapped in a thin shawl, his dhoti pulled up to the knees, few would have guessed he was a millionaire. 

In the '50s and '60s, Shadhana Oushadhalaya boasted over 150 branches and more than 2,000 agencies across India. Its medicines were particularly sought after in Bihar and Assam. Jogesh Babu even hoped to expand Shadhana into Europe and America.

Years earlier, when Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray visited Dhaka, he toured the Shadhana factory. Upon seeing piles of order letters from across the world, he congratulated Jogesh Babu on Shadhana's success.

"Shadhana Oushadhalaya was very famous until the '90s. After technology developed, people moved away from Ayurvedic medicine. Especially the upper classes, who previously relied on Ayurvedic treatments, suddenly shifted to allopathy. Still, many of our medicines sell. We have regular customers who have trusted Shadhana for generations. We survive because of them." Chittaranjan Das, retail branch manager, Shadhana Oushadhalaya

However, Jogesh Babu's interest in chemistry began in his college days. After completing his BA in 1906, he enrolled for his MA at the University of Calcutta. It was here that Acharya Ray encouraged him to produce medicines from indigenous resources. 

This strengthened his resolve to rely on herbs and plants rather than imported pharmaceuticals — an idea that aligned perfectly with the Swadeshi spirit sweeping Bengal after the 1905 Partition of Bengal.

Boycotting foreign goods was only half the movement; producing alternatives was essential. Alongside the charkha spinning cloth, and smoke rising from local factories, the indigenous industry grew rapidly.

Ayurveda as a way to serve humanity

When Acharya Ray urged students to prepare medicines from indigenous ingredients, it opened new horizons for Jogesh Babu. In 1908, he travelled to England for higher studies in chemistry and later to America. After joining Bhagalpur College as a professor, he studied Ayurveda extensively for four years.

Ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old system originating in India, remains prevalent today in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Its medicines are made from roots, flowers, leaves, fruits and other natural ingredients.

According to the Johns Hopkins Medical Journal, Ayurveda seeks to balance the mind, body, spirit and environment; disease arises when this balance is disturbed, usually through poor diet or lifestyle. 

The more Jogesh Chandra studied Ayurveda, the deeper his commitment grew. He embraced it as a way to serve humanity and the nation. 

In 1912, after leaving Bhagalpur, he joined Jagannath College in Dhaka, where he taught until 1948. In his final years there, he served as principal, earning the title by which he became widely known.

After retirement, he dedicated himself fully to promoting Ayurvedic medicine and wrote several books, including "Agnimandya O Kosthabaddhata (Indigestion and Constipation)", "Arogyer Path (The Path to Health)", "Ayurvediya Griha Chikitsa (Ayurvedic Home Treatment)", "Charma O Sadharan Swasthya Bijnan (Skin and General Health Science)" and "Chakshu Karna Nasika O Mukharoger Chikitsa (Treatment of Eye, Ear, Nose and Mouth Diseases)".

In 1914, he established Shadhana Oushadhalaya in Gandaria — initially a small research laboratory. It soon proved inadequate. By 1917, he had built a full-scale factory where medicines were produced using electric machinery. 

Each branch of Shadhana offered affordable consultations by experienced Kavirajes or Vaidyas. Among his notable innovations were the tooth powder Sadhanadashan and the oil Shri Gopal Tel.

Patriotism and expansion

For Jogesh Chandra, Ayurveda was both a humanitarian mission and an act of patriotism. 

He wrote, "Shadhana Oushadhalaya is the dearest institution of my life. But when a business is run for the greater good of the country, rising above personal welfare, it becomes beloved to the nation. When I try to establish branches of Shadhana abroad, I think of myself as a servant of Ayurveda, part of India's collective strength. The nation's call for a new awakening inspires me greatly."

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose also visited Shadhana Oushadhalaya. In a letter to Jogesh Chandra's son, Dr Naresh Chandra Ghosh, he wrote, "I was impressed after inspecting Shadhana Oushadhalaya in Dhaka. I am fully convinced of its genuineness. The philanthropic attitude of the principal deserves special praise. I congratulate the authorities of this foremost pharmacy in Dhaka for their dedication and success in serving Ayurveda."

The novelist Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay relied heavily on Shadhana's medicines during fevers. Shadhana's rise owed much to Jogesh Babu's sincerity and his commitment to affordable pricing. 

In the era of taka, ana and pai, a bottle of Mritasanjeevani cost 140 anas and was believed to treat fever, anaemia, indigestion, loss of appetite, puerperal diseases and rheumatism. Saribadi Salsa, priced at 40 anas, was marketed as a blood purifier. Sixteen pills of Sarvajwar Bati cost 1 ana and were considered effective against all types of fever. Chyawanprash sold at 3 rupees per seer (about 1 kg), praised as a remedy for cough, cold, tuberculosis and heart ailments.

Challenges and martyrdom

After Partition, complications arose. The Indian government imposed tariffs on certain goods imported from Pakistan — Ayurvedic medicines faced a steep 36% tax. Customs scrutiny on both sides of the border increased. Eventually, shipments from Dhaka to Indian branches had to be halted.

To sustain the business, Jogesh Chandra set up a second factory at his home in Dum Dum, Calcutta, in 1950, placing his son Naresh in charge. He played a crucial role in expanding Shadhana across India.

Together, father and son developed around 800 medicines.

As India's Ayurvedic market has grown from $2.85 billion in 2014 to $10.5 billion in 2024 Shadhana's legacy becomes even clearer. Long before today's giants like Patanjali, Dabur, Baidyanath and Zandu began exporting worldwide, Jogesh Chandra had already pushed Bengal-made Ayurvedic medicines onto the global stage.

Shadhana once had branches as far as China and North America, and exported to America, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and China.

"If I have to die, I will die on the soil of this country."

Born in Jalchatra village of Gosairhat, Shariatpur, his patriotism was tested during the Bangladesh Liberation War. In early April 1971, most Hindu residents of Gandaria and Sutrapur fled to India. Jogesh Chandra sent his family across the border, but despite repeated pleas from family and employees, he refused to leave. His trusted doormen, Suruj Miah and Rampal, stayed by his side.

Late on 3 April, the Pakistani Army arrived at Shadhana's gate. They broke the lock and began firing. Suruj Miah returned fire, forcing the soldiers to retreat.

The next morning, the army returned in greater numbers. They forced Suruj, Rampal and several employees at gunpoint to lead them upstairs. There, they stabbed the elderly principal with bayonets before shooting him, ending the life of one of Bengal's most remarkable sons.

Shadhana now

After independence, Dr Naresh revived Shadhana Oushadhalaya. In 1991, the Bangladesh Post Office issued a commemorative stamp in honour of his father's sacrifice on Martyred Intellectuals Day.

Next to Shadhana's main office and factory stands a retail branch managed by Chittaranjan Das, who has been with the organisation for 36 years.

"Shadhana Oushadhalaya was very famous until the '90s," he recalls. "After technology developed, people moved away from Ayurvedic medicine. Especially the upper classes, who previously relied on Ayurvedic treatments, suddenly shifted to allopathy. Still, many of our medicines sell. We have regular customers who have trusted Shadhana for generations. We survive because of them."

He also notes that sourcing raw ingredients has become increasingly difficult.

Despite economic pressures, Shadhana still keeps its prices remarkably low: 250g of Chyawanprash costs Tk220, 50g of Dashan Churna (tooth powder) is just Tk85. Most medicines are priced under Tk500. Many are sold at a loss: Dashan Churna costs Tk150 to manufacture but sells for Tk85. Losses are absorbed through other means.

Shadhana still has over a hundred branches in India and earns 1.5 to 2 crore rupees annually. But the number is steadily shrinking. Where it once produced 450 types of medicines, it now makes just 120. 

Exports have nearly stopped because of high ingredient costs and transport delays. The company's large properties in India and Bangladesh also lack proper oversight. Its only surviving heir, Sheela — the daughter of Naresh Chandra — has little interest in running the business.

"What will we do with more money? Who will use it? It is better to see how much we can help people," she says.