Kageri to recommend Iyengar's name for Karnataka Ratna award

The Government should contemplate on honouring yoga guru B K S Iyengar, who turned 94, with the Karnataka Ratna award, said Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the new building of Ramamani Sundararaj Iyengar College and B K S Iyengar’s 94th birthday celebrations, here on Tuesday.

Lauding the social services rendered by the yoga guru, Kageri said, even at 94, Iyengar was teaching yoga to thousands of disciples. He should have been honoured with the Karnataka Ratna award, considering his invaluable contributions to society. It was already late  now. Yet, he said, he would bring the matter to the notice of the chief minister, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, former speaker of the Legislative Council, V R Sudarshan and B L Shankar also agreed to Kageri’s proposal.

Iyengar has toured several countries in the world, propagating and popularising the practice of yoga. He has conducted several workshops which has benefitted the people.

He has ensured that the knowledge he has gained and skills he has mastered did not remain dormant with him. His contributions to society are worth commendable, expressed Governor Hansraj Bhardwaj.

Rare example

Inaugurating the programme, he said, it is a golden rule to give back to society, whatever one has achieved and gained. But there are very few who chose to do so.

The fact that Iyengar has opened school and college in Bellur, his native village providing free education is in itself a rare example for the others to seek inspiration and emulate, he said.

Replying to his felicitation, Iyengar recollected his parents, who are an eternal source of inspiration for him, in pursuing his goals and dreams. He was indebted to Bellur, and said that he always wanted to start school and college, to ensure that the children in his village were not deprived of education. He believed in imparting free education to one and all, he said.

The newly constructed college building, which has come up at a cost of Rs two crore, was handed over by the Managing Director of Bajaj Auto Limited, Pune, Maharashtra, to Bellur Krishnamachar and Seshamma Memorial Fund Trust, on the occasion. Karnataka High Court judge Justice N Kumar was also present.