A Monk and an Ashram receive Yoga Award

By Reeta Rani Nayak

Only some months ago the famous Pangong lake area in Ladakh was the theater of serious armed conflict between soldiers of India and China. But last month the colour changing world’s highest saltwater lake witnessed one of the largest Yoga camps by civilians and soldiers alike.

The mega camp was organized by none other than Bhikkhu Sanghasena who was awarded this year’s yoga honor by Prime Minister Narendra Modi . He and his Leh based Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre organized one of the biggest yoga camps at Pangong Lake at a height of 4350 meters. The event last month was concluded by creating a world record that will be marked in the World Book of Records, for organizing such a mega mass meditation and yoga programme in a high altitude area. The event concluded with a magnificent musical festival on the banks of the lake by the Ladakh Musical Society and a splendid dance performance by the Mahabodhi residential school students in commemoration of the 75th Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Another yoga camp by the UT Administration and Mahabodhi Centre was inaugurated by Mr RK Mathur, the Lieutenant Governor of Union territory of Ladakh at best and biggest Astroturf sports stadium near Spituk on June 21. The program included more than 3,000 people, including many distinguished guests from home and abroad.

While delivering the welcome speech, Bhikkhu Sanghasena said, ‘among the many great contributions India has made for the world are the timeless teachings of Ahimsa, Karuna, Maitri, Yoga and Dhyana. Through the living legacies of these powerfully transformative gifts, the world today sees India as a vital spiritual hub to rejuvenate the body, mind, and spirit.

The array of eminent personalities who were present on the Inaugural day was the Former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, Dr Kiran Bedi; Member of Parliament from Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal; Ambassador of Myanmar, Moe Chaw Aung; Ambassador of Mongolia, Ganbold Dambajav; the president of World Book of Records, London, Venerable Dr. Ponchai Pinyapong.

Sanghasena is the founder of the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre in Leh, and a social and spiritual worker. Earlier, the Gandhi Peace Foundation conferred him with the World Peace Award in 2004. He was a soldier with the Indian Army during his youth and left it to become a monk at an early stage.

While Bhikkhu Sanghasena will receive the award under “national individual” category, Marcus Vinicius Rojo from Rodrigues, Sao Paulo, Brazil are the individual recipients under “International Individual” category. The Divine Life Society and the British Wheel of Yoga from the United Kingdom will receive the honour under “National Organization” and “International Organization” respectively.

According to the Minister of Ayush, Mr Sarbananda Sonowal this is one of the most coveted honours in the field of Yoga. The winners will be felicitated with a Trophy, Certificate and a Cash Award each. The Divine Life Society at the banks of Ganga at Rishikesh imparts yoga to its inmates and guests daily at the ashram. It is a spiritual organisation and ashram, founded by Swami Sivananda Saraswati in 1936.

Today it has branches around the world.

Source: Himalayan News Chronicle