Born in a middle classSouth Indian family, Deepak Acharya completed his schooling from BTI and Government Multipurpose School, Balaghat and Government School, Chhindwara Districts in Central India. He majored in plant sciences at Government PG College and post-graduate work at Danielson Degree College in Chhindwara. Deepak has obtained a degree of Doctor in Philosophy in plant sciences from Dr H S Gour University Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. Later he pursued his Post Doctorate in the subject of ethnobotany in New Delhi.
Research career
He began his research career in the year 1997. His major herbal research journey began from a remote valley popularly known as Patalkot in Chhindwara district. After the painstaking research of more than 10 years among Gonds and Bharias of Patalkot, he moved to Ahmedabad, Gujarat for a social entrepreneurial venture in 2007. Deepak works as Director of Research & Development at Abhumka Herbal Pvt Ltd in Gujarat, India. His company is engrossed in formalizing indigenous herbal knowledge into finished products for human and animal healthcare.
Work and profession
His work has involved the documentation of indigenous knowledge of Gond and Bharia tribes of the Patalkot Forest in Madhya Pradesh. Currently, he is scouting the knowledge of herbal healers of Dangs in Gujarat and Aravallis in Rajasthan. In the whole process of research, scouting and documentation of indigenous knowledge, his company is determined to safeguard intellectual and financial rights of tribesmen those who share their herbal knowledge.
Books
Indigenous Herbal Medicines: Tribal Formulations and Traditional Herbal Practices published by Aavishkar Publication- Jaipur, India.
Ethnomedicinal Plants: Revitalizing of Traditional Knowledge of Herbs published by CRC Press-USA.
His first book in English entitled Indigenous Herbal Medicines: Tribal Formulations and Traditional Herbal Practices has been appreciated world over. His Hindi book "आदिवासियों की औषधीय विरासत" has also been appreciated very much in India, Gujarat's Chief Minister Narendra Modi released it on 25 January 2013. The book revolves round the age-old herbal healing methods of Indian tribesmen.
Contributions
His regular columns and articles are featured in various national and international print media, e.g., "Herbal Acharya" and "Sehat ki Rasoi" in Gaon Connection, "Herbal Live" in Haribhumi, Jeevan Mantra in Bhasker.com, GreenMedInfo, ECOS - Australia, Positive Health-UK, Heritage Healing-US, Life Positive Hindi, Ayushman, and Heritage Amruth.
Interviews
By Kat Morgenstern: Preserving the Traditional Knowledge of Tribal People in Patalkot By Mayank Chhaya: Dr. Deepak Acharya’s herbal mantra begins to resonate
