Tuesday, August 9 2005 12:53 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

If the Bush administration was happy to roll out a red carpet to Dr Manmohan Singh recently to herald a new chapter in Indo-US relations, the whole of United States is eagerly awaiting the visit another high-profile Indian guru in mid-September. He does not have any official position, he does not talk about nuclear technology, but his mastery over an ancient Indian philosophy-cum-physical exercise is so powerful that many people across the world consider him a Living Legend. It is none other than Bellur Krishnamachar Sundaraja (BKS) Iyengar.

If today Yoga has found millions of die-hard adherents from America to Australia, from Russia and Latin America to Iran and Turkey, Iyengar has been singularly responsible with his sustained efforts over the last six decades or more. He brought Yoga out of the closset, introduced his own innovations and made it popular among the masses by showing how Yoga is among the most scientific and best exercises which anyone can learn and practice.

At the age of 87 and still going strong, Iyengar is like the re-incornation of Bhisma Pithamaha. Even today, he practices Yoga for about four hours a day, does some of the most complicated Asanas which an 18 year old with a more supple body cannot, and radiates an energy which is indescribable.

Perhaps Iyengar's most significant contribution is to free Yoga from its dogmatic clutches, begin exploration of the amazing therauptic values of Pathanjali's Yoga Sutras designed in 5th century B.C. and adopt them to offer an alternative line of treatment to diseases. The simple props like wooden gadgets, belts and ropes designed by Iyengar are being used the world over to enable persons of all ages to perform some of the difficult Asanas for maximum benefit.

Today, there are thousands of proven cases of heart diseases, diagnosied as fit for 'emergency operations' by modern doctors, being completely cured through Yoga; similarly, people faced with physical and mental stresses, back pains, tuberculosis, asthama, cancer etc have found remedy through Yoga, which has tremendously contributed to its popularity.

Iyengar Yoga

His style of teaching, known as "Iyengar Yoga", is now being followed by over 4,000 certified instructors in over 60 countries, nearly 800 of them in the US alone. He has taught Yoga to eminent personalities like J Krishnamurthy, Yahudi Menuhin, Jaiprakash Narayan, the Indian crickters, the queen Mother of Belgium among others and trained thousands of teachers.

No wonder, his visit to the US after a gap of 12 years has aroused tremendous interest. Admissions to his week-long workship were closed 2 minutes after opening. Invitations to his demonstration-lecture at Los Angeles to 3,000 people were picked up in no time and the organisers have been forced to hire an adjoining hall where a giant screen would be installed. Surely, Iyengar may not get a chance to address the US Congress, but he is bound to get a huge applause from the People's Congress.

"When I started teaching Yoga in 1937 at Poona, there were very few Yoga centres in India," Iyengar recalled in an interview. "Yoga had no respect in India. My heart broke. I thought if a dancer can attract people, I should be able to do the same by introducing malody and rhythm to the asanas. By God's grace I have been successful. So far, I must have given more than 10,000 demonstrations."

The West's fascination with Iyengar's Yoga began in 1968. When he was in England, he taught celebrities like Yehudi Menuhin and Aldus Huxley and in his own words, "I intoxicated the intellectuals to show the value of Yoga. That's how I was able to take it to the common people. I did not want it only for the elite..Then, the British government asked me to introduce Yoga in their schools and that's how today there are more than 800 instructors teaching my style of Yoga all over England and Scotland."

Yoga, forgotten in its land of birth

Iyengar is disappointed that the political leaders have not given importance to Yoga in its land of birth. "In Dehra Dun, my system of Yoga was taught for several years. My curriculam has been accepted as the best by the Central government. And yet nothing is happening because one politician says one thing and with the change of government, the other one doesn't agree...I was teaching the defence forces for several years, then they stopped saying they had no money.

What can I do?"

He also finds it obnoxious that some people attach religious tag to Yoga to deny its benefits to the masses. "Yoga is a secular subject. Even in countries like Iran, Turkey and Pakistan, they have my Yoga centres. My books have come out in 18 languages including Persian...But here we have a problem which nobody wants to tackle," he says with sadness writ large on his face.

Actually, it is the blending of Ayurveda and Yoga which Iyengar has been able to achieve that made Yoga popular on the theraptic side. Combining research with experience, he has devised asanas which work on specific parts of the body, offering enormous relief to thousands of suffering patients. He has even worked on AIDS and introduced special exercises which have been adopted by some American hospitals. "Many diseases can be cured if it is in the beginning stages. Yoga can cure or at least make the patient endure (the pain)," he says.

Ironically, hundreds of Iyengar's disciples have become rich using the methods and props developed by him without a pie of royalty coming to him. "I have gone to foreign countries when the salary was not even 100 dollars. I had to walk miles and miles to introduce Yoga. Today my pupils are all rich...out of my suffering. But my mission was to make it popular and my job is done," he says with a satisfied look on his face.