New Delhi: Swami Sivananda, a 125-year-old yoga teacher from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Parliamentary constituency Kashi who received the Padma Shri award from President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday, has made headlines, and his humble acceptance of the honour has been lauded by all.

The yoga who was in usual attire wearing Kurta and Dhoti bowed down before Prime Minister Modi and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and later he bowed down before President Ramanath Kovind before accepting the award, his gesture won applause from the guests who were witnessing the event.

Swami Sivananda was born on August 8, 1896, in the Sylhet district (now Bangladesh) and lost both his parents when he was six years old. His rigorous lifestyle, which includes early morning yoga, oil-free boiled food, and selfless service to humanity, has allowed him to live a disease-free life.

Because of his parents' poverty, it is reported that he was only fed cooked rice. Guru Omkarananda Goswami taught him spirituality, particularly yoga, at Nabadwip, West Bengal.

Swami Sivanand is a positive thinker:

He has been a positive thinker throughout his life. "The world is my home, its people are my parents, and to love and serve them is my faith," he believes.

Swami Sivananda still serves the impoverished in various parts of the country, including, Puri,  Varanasi, Haridwar, and North East India according to the documents provided by the Rashtrapati Bhavan. For the last half a century, the Swamiji is serving around 400-600 leprosy-affected beggars at Puri in Odisha. 

He provides them food, fruits, clothes, warm clothes, blankets, cooking utensils, mosquito nets, and other items based on their expressed needs. He sees God in them, says the report. 

Swami Sivananda's long and healthy life has drawn attention from all across the world. When there was initial hesitancy for receiving COVID vaccination, he took the shot and led by an example. He was quite vocal about the COVID-19 vaccine, he advised people to receive the shot without any hesitancy.

Hospitals across the country have provided free master health check-ups to analyze the structural and functional status of his essential organs and systems in order to monitor his lifestyle.

He was awarded many awards including Yoga Ratna Award, on World Yoga Day in 2019, he was the senior yoga participant from the country.