Among many eminent personalities receiving the fourth-highest civilian award Padma Shri, a certain 125-year-old yoga guru received the award from President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday. Walking bare feet in the palatial Darbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the 125-year-old Swami Sivananda also received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Before receiving the award, the yoga practitioner prostrated first before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then before the President, drawing another round of applause from the guest at the civil investiture ceremony. Returning the greeting, Prime Minister Modi promptly bowed and touched the ground.
Who is Swami Sivananda?
'The world is my home, its people are my fathers and mothers, to love and serve them is my religion'-- this has been his belief.
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Born on 8 August 1896 in Sylhet district (now in Bangladesh) of undivided India, Swami Sivananda lost his mother and father at the age of six. Due to abject poverty, his beggar parents could feed him mainly boiled rice and water during his early days.
After the death of his parents, he was brought to his Guruji's Ashram at Nabadwip in West Bengal. Guru Omkarananda Goswami brought him up, imparted all practical and spiritual education including Yoga without school education.
He has been serving the underprivileged in different parts of the country - in North East India, at Varanasi, Puri, Haridwar, Nabadwip and so on, according to the Rashtrapati Bhavan document on Padma awardees.
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For the last 50 years, Swami Sivananda has been serving 400-600 leprosy-affected beggars with dignity at Puri by personally meeting them at their hutments. Sivananda is said to arrange different materials like food items, fruits, clothes, winter garments, blankets, mosquito nets, cooking utensils based on the needs of the people.
Swami Sivananda's healthy and long life has drawn attention from across the globe including his commitment to motivating countrymen for covid vaccination after immunising himself at the age of 125 years.
Awards received
Swami Sivananda has received various awards including the Yoga Ratna Award in 2019 at Bengaluru.
He was the senior-most participant from the country at yoga demonstration on June 21, the World Yoga Day in 2019.
He was awarded Basundhara Ratan Award by Respect Age International for his contribution to society on 30 November 2019.
Accolades
The yoga guru's gesture won over the internet.
Taking to Twitter, many personalities including industrialist Anand Mahindra hailed the power of yoga and Sivananda’s contribution to the field of health and fitness.
The power of yoga. A life spanning 125 years of dedication! The grace and dignity of Swami Sivananda is both humbling & inspiring. Proud to belong to the country of Yoga’s origin https://t.co/e9vMVVdpgx
(with inputs from agencies)
