- Yogashree, N.V.Raghuram, Chairman, Yoga Bharati
Hearty congratulations to Dr Nagendra, popularly known by the staff and friends of VYASA as Guruji for well deserving Padma Award Padmashree, which he has received on the occasion of recent republic day 2016 celebrations.
An engineer scientist who has done his PhD from prestigious institution — Indian Institution of Science (IISc) — worked in NASA USA and also as a faculty at Harvard school for several years. Soon he resigned the world of engineering research and came back to Vivekananda Kendra Kanyakumari and served in yoga Dept (Vibhag). He was joined by his sister Dr Nagarathna who is MD FRCP from Royal college of London started yoga and yoga therapy research. Soon that work shifted to Bengaluru for logistical reasons. Vivekananda Kendra Yoga research foundation later became an independent organization called Vivakananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthan VYASA Bengaluru. Under this institution and under Dr.Nagendra's guidance hundreds of research papers are produced, in collaboration with NIMHANS and Rajeev Gandhi Medical University etc until it has become an independent University under the notifications of UGC India. After that this unique yoga university — only one of its kind in the whole world — continued to produce research work to gain the top most position in yoga research in the world.
H R Nagendra is a man of great vision. He wanted this university to have chairs in specialized and unique areas. He established several chairs in different departments of SVYASA such as Life sciences, Humanities, etc. Some of the luminaries of the field of yoga, art and science have worked for Dr. Nagendra's vision, such as Prof E C G Sudarshan, Dr M Balamuralikrishna etc. Although he is the architect of such a great vision, he lives a very simple and unassuming life. I recollect the words of Shri Satishchandra, the Ex Chief Secretary of Karnataka who described Dr. Nagendra after explaining his various academic excellence as, “ Here is this simple person. I don't say he is simple dressed but we are over dressed”. Today yoga is recognized worldwide to celebrate as international yoga day. I think Dr. H R Nagedra’s contribution did enough to impress Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who in turn introduced yoga in United Nations and lobbied for International Yoga Day on June 21st every year.
Yoga Bharati is privileged to be closely associated with VYASA which is result solely of vision and effort of Padmashree Dr H R Nagendra. May God give him a long life and many more such accomplishments.