Hello, this is Sajini Ponmala and I am a registered homeopathic practitioner. I live and practise Homeopathy in the UK.

Early life & education:

Though I was born in Kerala (popularly known as God’s own country), India, we had settled in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. I completed my secondary education from RSK Higher Secondary School, Tiruchirapalli, TN.

One of my most favourite memories: THE GREEN BHEL TOWNSHIP CAMPUS:-

My father worked for Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.(BHEL). Our school, RSK was located within the BHEL Township campus which was not only full of green walkways and parks but also enriched with good community vibes. What a blessing to think of it even now!
Looking back and whenever I revisit the locality, I am so very fascinated by the choice of trees on the walkways, between the factory and the township, for e.g., the Pongamia trees, the Gulmohur (the flamboyant, royal poinciana), the Eucalyptus, and many more. Unquestionably, it often appears to me that everything was created with a higher purpose, no drama or hype, that was just the way.  Simple, pure, natural and most beautiful! In other words, with the greater good of humanity and the planet in mind. This is truly an inspiration.

I believe I grew up as an active child with a strong mind. Likewise, singing, climbing trees, cycling everywhere particularly, to the local shops for little treats and spending time lost in the beauty of nature defined my early childhood days. After school, I firstly completed my graduation in Zoology from SRC, Trichy.

Passion in my late teens:-

In my teens, I met a group of progressive friends, young girls & boys, who dreamt to do something different for the society. We registered ourselves as a government organisation under the name, the ‘Friends of Humanity(FOH)’.
As the FOH, we visited surrounding villages doing social service, educating little kids and running  medical camps with the support of other organisations like the LION’s club. These were mostly our activities at the weekends and holidays. Looking back, this was not something kids of our age normally did at that time or even today. For the same reason, I think it was such a positive, collective energy put to good use.

Introduction to Homeopathy and Homeopathic Education:

My belief in Homeopathy stems from early childhood after being treated by a popular Homeopathic Doctor in Trichy. Dr.A.Balaji, as he was called, treated me for tonsillitis and an obstinate eczema. He was known to my father and treated most members of the family. Recently, I came to know from my dad that Dr.A.Balaji’s father was also a homeopathic practitioner and had treated my mum for some of her complaints in the past.

As a matter of fact, the eligibility to write the state medical entrance exam was a privilege for me
because my parents were originally from the state of Kerala.

Mr.K.Ponmala, my father, for whom I have the utmost regard has always been a fair and just person. Not only did I look up to him growing up, I also adored his sense of justice and unconditional love for everyone around him. For that reason, despite me being a decisive person, it goes without saying that my father has influenced most of the decisions in my life either directly or indirectly. He insisted that I study at the Govt.Homeopathic Medical College, Calicut because of the latter’s relevance in the field of Homeopathy.

Further I secured admission through the state entrance exam to the BHMS course (Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine & Surgery) at GHMC, Calicut.

Government Homeopathic Medical College, Calicut :- my alma mater!

GHMC Calicut has the reputation of being the first graduate Homeopathic Medical College in Asia, founded in 1976. The attached  homeopathic hospital with 100 beds and 6 outpatient sections offered a very rich clinical exposure.

An old picture

Recent picture

There was never
a dearth of patients as they always visited in large numbers
with long queues outside every clinic. For the rest of the world, I understand this may be hard to relate, this kind of overwhelming support for Homeopathy. Nevertheless, it’s very true. The clinics included Organon & Homeopathic Philosophy, Materia Medica, Repertory, OG, Surgery, Practice of Medicine and every one of them would overflow with patients. Organon & MM are purely Homeopathic subjects.
It’s important to note that the hospital also had a Pain & palliative care unit where terminally ill patients came to be free of the cancer pain with Homeopathic remedies and perhaps, also to have a peaceful death.

Internship at the college Hospital:-

Working a night shift as an intern was never without apprehension because the intern was most likely
the first Doctor on duty to confirm a death. The evening clinic too, as an intern was a fulfilling experience with opportunities for C&D (cleaning and dressing) of wounds and good prescriptions. I liked to be able to learn, apply the learning and also witness results. The best part for me was the heartfelt gratitude from the patients.

Rural internship:-

After 6 months of internship in the College hospital, I chose to do my rural internship in the villages of Palakkad, where my parents hail from. My time as a rural intern was a very enriching experience because for the most part, I would be the only resident Doctor in the dispensary and I could see the result of my prescriptions then and there. I was totally humbled by the gratitude of the local people who showered a lot of love on their rural Doctor.
I still remember so fondly the amount of respect and love they showered on me.

Private practice as a fresh BHMS graduate:

Returning to Trichy, TN after completing my BHMS degree, I was extremely motivated and enthusiastic to start my private practice as soon as possible. The practice was called the “Homeopathic Speciality Clinic” and was located in Thiruverumbur, in the close vicinity of BHEL. The practice lasted 5 years.

My stamp during my practice days in India

Marriage & moving to the UK:

As the story goes, I got married to Manoj Manickan who worked in hospitality in the UK. This began a
new and challenging chapter in my life.

After moving to the UK, I soon began my hunt for a job. However, all my initial applications to homeopathic jobs were returned with a polite reply saying there were no vacancies. In total contrast to the situation in India, there were hardly any openings for Homeopathy in London. Private practice was not option for me at that time.
I soon understood the bitter truth that the mainstream support for Homeopathy in the UK was almost minimal or non-existent. Moreover, how do I deal with all the bad propaganda? Whilst in India, I have not only seen how much Homeopathy is valued and adored but also the astonishing results which have kept it going strong for so many years.
Honestly, I was saddened and surely had a lot of low moments. However, I decided to keep doing what I do best and go with the flow.

Working in the NHS:

In the UK, I took up a non-qualified job of working in a secure setting with patients having diagnoses of personality disorder and other mental health issues. While I worked at the extremely challenging setup,
I realised I had somehow lost the confidence to practice homeopathy. I eventually joined the Allen College of Homeopathy, Chelmsford. The college was run by Dr. Subrata K.Banerjea, who has a homeopathic lineage from the homeopathic city of Calcutta.

The Post-Graduate Diploma was a modular course. I completed it in two years while I worked full-time.

Experience as a Homoeopath in the UK:

I, Sajini Ponmala secured my first job as a Homeopath at the Organic Pharmacy, London. I worked in their consulting rooms as a Homeopath. Moreover, I also did retail services at their pharmacies in High Street Kensington, Hampstead & Kings road, London.

Following this, I went part time and also worked for Ainsworths Homeopathic Pharmacy, London. Ainsworths is a company with a lot of good will, a great legacy, innumerable and staunch supporters of homeopathy as customers. Ainsworths pharmacy is a very old Homeopathic Pharmacy and also prepare the remedies. They also supply the royal family and hold the royal warrants.

In 2018, I made the decision to do something more. Currently, I am registered as a private practitioner with the Alliance of Registered Homeopaths(ARH). Details of my registration can be found here.

I feel happy that I have stayed connected with Homeopathy in spite of all odds and also attracted better opportunities to learn more in the same direction. Connecting with the Predictive Homoeopathy family was also one such thing in my homeopathic journey. Predictive Homoeopathy was founded by the great teacher and Physician, the late.Dr.Prafull Vijayakar .
Subsequently, I completed the SCPH online course in Homeopathy in 2018.
Now I am blessed to be associated with Swara Gurukul. I can only attribute all of these to my deepest desire to connect with my higher purpose.

Beliefs & Hobbies:

Basically I am a believer in God, the Almighty/Krishna for me, the Universe! To be honest, I have always been like that, obviously, more clarity has come with age. In contrast, my father was a non-believer in God. I am grateful that I was brought up in an environment that encouraged free thinking from the very beginning.

With time, I have been determined to look at every problem as an opportunity. If it ended fine, then good, if not, there was always some learning there. I have learnt to look at the possibilities to grow rather than blame the situations or the people in my life. After all, there is a solution to every challenge. We just have to figure that out.
I know I haven’t found my passions fully yet and that I am in the process of discovering myself.

Divine-just-like-Homeopathy

Gratitude for this and more to come.. 

Just like my childhood days, I now live with my family away from London
in a quiet & serene community with a lot of greenery, lakes, ducks & swans. The smell of freshly cut grass when I mow my garden gives me joy. Swimming in the local pool is amazing. I would like to say I am adventurous.

The best I remember doing was canoeing on the River Thames with the enthusiastic, young & helpful members of the Chiswick canoe club several Sundays, a few years back.
That was surely an exhilarating experience!

Travelling with family and seeing new places is always fun. My family will always be that something I am always grateful for.

Conclusion:

So the journey continues..
“This or something even better still”
Thank you Dr.Santhosh Mohan for the college pictures.