President Ramnath Kovind conferred the Padma Sri award to 125-year-old Swami Sivananda for his outstanding contribution in the field of Yoga. The award was also given to 54 other distinguished personalities in various fields. The awards were given at the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan at a Civil Investiture Ceremony-1. When his name was announced, he received applause from across the hall. He walked barefoot to receive it, first, he walked up to the Prime Minister and prostrated before him to pay his respect, then he walked to the president to receive the award. Out of respect, the PM also bowed and touched the ground.

The journey from childhood to Yoga Master

Born on August 8, 1896, Swami Sivananda hails from Sylhet district of Bangladesh of undivided India. As a child, he showed his inclination towards the divine path. He lost his parents at the early age of six. He grew up in such acute poverty that his parents were only able to feed him boiled rice during his childhood days. After his parents died, Swami Sivananda was taken to his Guruji’s Ashram at Nabadwip in West Bengal. He was brought up and looked after by Swami Omkarananda Goswami who gave him all spiritual and practical education. It was with him that he learned all about Yoga. Yoga is a remarkable contribution by India to the world. In recent years, people have become more inclined towards Yoga, they have adopted this ancient practice of Yoga for inner peace and happiness. Yoga is supposed to improve the quality of life and longevity, the life and energy of Swami Sivananda at 125-years depicts the immense strength of yoga.

His daily life and Services to the Society

He is very disciplined in his regular life and leads a well-regulated life with early morning yoga, an oil-free diet. He has a strong belief that Yoga is the source of leading a healthy life, improving mental health, and controlling senses. He regularly performs Yoga for hours, sleeps on a mat on the floor, and uses a wooden slab under his head in place of Yoga. He has no medical complications at the age of 125 years and can perform all rituals by himself.

He has devoted his life to the service of the poor, has been serving leprosy-affected people in Puri for the last 50 years. He encourages others to serve mankind so that everyone could feel the joy of achieving something. He believes in this belief, ’The World is my home, its people are my fathers and mothers, to love and serve them is my religion.’

Awards and Accolades Swami Sivananda has received many awards for his untiring services to society. He was honored with the Yoga Ratna Award in 2019 in Bengaluru. On World Yoga Day in 2019, he was the senior-most participant from the country at the Yoga demonstration. He has also been awarded Bashundhara Ratan Award by Respect Age International for his contribution to society on 30^th Nov 2019.