Palatial Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan, March 21, 2022: A man named Swami Sivananda, a yoga guru, received the Padma Shri for his excellent yoga practices and recognitions. He’s believed to be 125 years old. According to a passport that was made in 2010, he was born on August 8, 1896, in the Sylhet district (now in Bangladesh) of undivided India.
Before receiving the award, the yoga practitioner prostrated before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the President, receiving another round of applause from the guests at the civil investiture ceremony.
Swami follows a simple belief that has been inculcated in him since his childhood: “The world is my home; its people are my fathers and mothers. To love and serve them is my religion.” He’s not married. Apart from yoga practice, he also served society to his maximum potential. Precisely, the leprosy-affected beggars.
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A video that got viral on the internet, said he’s believed to be not only the oldest but also the happiest man in the world. Also, Swami mentioned his age as 123 in the clip.
About the late Sivananda Saraswati
Late Sivananda Saraswati was a yoga guru, a Hindu spiritual teacher, and a proponent of Vedanta. Swami was born in 1887, in Kuppuswami in Pattamadai, in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. He studied medicine and served in British Malaya as a physician for several years before taking up monasticism. He was the Founder of the Divine Life Society. He died on July 14, 1963, in Rishikesh.
His books such as ‘Thought Power’ and ‘Concentration and Meditation’ are considered holistic in the practice of Yoga. He’s one of the most prominent Yoga Gurus.
Digital Propaganda: The Late and the Latest Swami
The media as well as the government is considering the late Swami Sivananda as the latest Swami who received Padma Shri.
The latest one is celebrated all across the news in the name of the real Swami, who died in 1963. There are sources on the Internet where the pictures of the late Swami are used to represent the latest Swami. A total fraud. The legacy of the late Sivananda is claimed by the latest Sivananda.
An article (Dhaka Tribunes) published about the latest Swami back in 2014, claimed his age as 119. So according to basic addition, he must be 127 by 2022. While he’s recognized as 125 or 123 or 124 today in 2022. Some social platforms write him as 123, others as 125 or 124. Another thing to note is that Guinness World Records has the oldest person living is Kane Tanaka, aged 119 by January 2022. Whereas, Swami has been recognized for the last few years. Then why didn’t the Indian government make his addition to the Guinness World records?
Conclusion
There are so many rumours and a lack of verification regarding the late and the Latest Swami. The Indian Government must verify the nominees before awarding the great Ratna awards. This might even spark and relate to Hinduism and the practice of yoga. With the help of this famous award, the awardee may create an image of Saint, “Oldest man alive on earth is a yogi” or in raw language serving the ‘Baba’ image of Modi Ji and Yogi Aditya Nath. If the government isn’t bothered to make changes in the Guinness World Records, by mentioning him as the oldest man; then how will the citizens pick this up?
Both the Swamis have their fortunes, servings, and contribution to the yoga world. It’s our job in the first place to scrutinize and verify the famous news.
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