His job has often been described as that of an MD working as a vaidya, or a practitioner of traditional medicine. His peers from med school probably think he has betrayed Science, working with exotic herbs with strange names that are supposed to cure a plethora of ailments. But for Dr S K Mitra, chief scientist and head of research and development at Himalaya Herbal Healthcare, this is his life’s work.

How does a doctor with two medical degrees to his name end up working on one of the most ancient medicinal practices known to man? Dr Mitra smiles gently. “I was always inclined towards research ? and I don’t see any difference between the research I am doing at Himalaya and that undertaken at any pharmacological laboratory in the world,” he says. After completing his MD, Mitra was at a loss for a while. His natural bent towards the academic way of life prompted him towards a career in research, but yet he wasn’t keen to enter the cut-throat world of pharmacological research. That’s when he got an offer from Himalaya to join as research scientist. “I took it on as a challenge,” he says.

That was 15 years ago. He started with helping out in high-profile clinical trials and today heads the research team with more than 80 scientists working under him engaged in basic and clinical research for Himalaya. Under his leadership, the Himalaya R&D Centre has gained recognition from various bodies, such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. These years also saw the company growing from a niche Ayurvedic pharmaceutical company with a few patented bestsellers like Liv 52 to the large, professionally-run company it is today, leading the way for the herbal invasion of our cosmetic kits, homes, and medicine cabinets.

Himalaya’s product portfolio now stretches from its popular personal care products to the pure herbs range that distils the goodness of Indian spices and herbs into capsules, to the new pet-care line to perennial Indian favourites like chyavanprash, honey and anti-stress massage oils. Their hair-loss cream, one of Himalaya’s most popular products, is flying off store shelves.

And all this has happened in the space of the last five years or so. “We always had the expertise to produce popular herbal products,” says Mitra, “but we did it only when we thought the timing was right.” It was about half a decade ago that the company could sense a growing interest among consumers for indigenous remedies and homegrown products. Ayurveda was just waiting to be rediscovered. “We had years of experience behind us (the company is 75 years old) and knew that the Himalaya name generated trust among consumers,” says Mitra The personal care products were first launched under the brand name Ayurvedic Concepts, with a strong marketing and advertising strategy, and later integrated with the Himalaya name.

Besides creating best-selling cosmetic cures, Mitra has also been spearheading ‘real’ clinical research at Himalaya, all to do with finding herbal alternatives to allopathic antibiotics, anti-histamines, drugs for tropical diseases and immune disorders. During his tenure, Himalaya filed 17 global patents, a major triumph for a herbal concern.

“Most people think of Ayurveda as unscientific and arbitrary,” says Mitra. He adds, “Nothing could be further from the truth. To produce reliable herbal products, all the research done with plants has to be conducted with as much stringency, as any other pharmacological research.” All products created by Himalaya, he stresses, go through the same procedures ? like clinical and human trials, though there’s no animal testing ? as in allopathic drugs.

The buzz at Himalaya, according to him, centres around the R&D lab. It’s the nerve centre around which other departments like packaging and marketing revolve. “Here, the action starts in the lab,” says Mitra.

But that’s not to say he doesn’t give marketing and packaging their due. Mitra recalls how most herbal products once had a fuddy-duddy image. But all that is changing now, and he believes it started with Himalaya and the brand’s rediscovering itself as smart and cool to appeal to the young. “Remember the old Ayurvedic Concepts ads with the granny who advises youngsters about our products,” he asks, recalling a popular series of TV spots that ran about five years back. That, he feels, set the tone for the products.

And today, Himalaya is as ‘with it’ as they come. “Look at the PartySmart pills, for instance,” he says, referring to the branded pills the company released recently to prevent hangovers. “They’re meant for the generation that likes to party. One has to keep oneself clued in to current lifestyles to produce products that will appeal to all social groups.” So does he like to drop in to happening places once in a while, just to keep a hold on the youth pulse? “No, I’m a quiet person who likes to spend time with his family,” smiles the doctor. Like any good Bengali, he loves his Bengali fiction and Rabindrasangeet. “But I do have a team of young researchers and they give me all the insight I need.” Working with a young team is one of the most vital factors that makes his job challenging, Mitra says. “I like young minds as one can teach them, mould them and also learn so much from them. With older people, the trouble is they are already too set in their ways.”

The doctor won’t reveal too many details about what’s on Himalaya’s plate for the near future, though he does admit that the company will keenly look at consolidating foreign markets this year (Himalaya products already sell in over 60 countries, including the USA, the UK, UAE, Singapore, China, Russia and many African countries).

Also, soon to be seen on pharmacy shelves will be mainstream medicines from Himalaya for a variety of complaints ? right from tropical diseases to viral infections and even cancer. It looks like the lab at Himalaya and the quiet man at its helm are going to have another busy year.

Photograph by Shashi Kiran K.