Last year in August, renowned Yoga Guru BKS Iyengar
passed away, leaving a void in the lives of cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar
and Rahul Dravid. Over years Iyengar has helped many cricketers overcome
injury. Tendulkar said of him: “My first detailed interaction with Guruji was
way back in the year 1999 when Kiran More introduced me to him for a backache
which was giving me much trouble. His serene, light hearted approach struck me
and I spent a week under Guruji’s care.”
Born in Kolar district in Karnataka, Iyengar
suffered various kinds of ailments and had a weak constitution as a child. He
suffered from malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid, and even malnutrition. He was
quoted by NYTimes: “My arms were thin, my legs were spindly, and my stomach
protruded in an ungainly manner. My head used to hang down, and I had to lift
it with great effort.”
Iyengar started practicing yoga at a very early age. His first teacher was
his brother-in-law, a Brahmin. Then a teenager, Iyengar was made to stretch and
even bend his body as part of Maharaja of Mysore’s entourage and showcase them
in front of visitors.
Yehudi Menuhin visited India in 1952 and asked to meet the Yoga Guru. The
meeting with Menuhin went on for hours. Iyengar in his interview to
CNN recollected
the meeting and said, “The moment I adjusted him and took him, he said, ‘I’ve
never felt this sense of joy, elation.’ ”
Later on, Menuhin introduced Iyengar to Switzerland, where the Guru earned
substantial following. Four years later he visited New York. Though it took him
ten years to attract people, Iyengar became famous for becoming the Guru who
introduced yoga to West.
Tendulkar met Iyengar in 1998 when the batting maestro was suffering from
backache. In 2013,
Indian Express spoke to Iyengar when Tendulkar was
playing his final and 200th Test. “I was just watching the match, Sachin was
batting on 20. He is a gifted man. He still has the stamina and endurance to
play a five-day match,” Iyengar was quoted as saying by
Indian Express.
He went on to say, “He had a lot of problems with his foot and his doctor in
London had suggested surgery. I saw that the soles of his feet were as hard as
rock. We tried a few
asanas. About 10 days later, he returned to London
for an appointment with the doctor, who said that surgery was no longer
necessary…Sportspersons like Tendulkar are national assets, so whenever they
have problems that are hard to recover from, I try to guide them.
“Sachin became very sincere about 4-5 years ago when he had a severe
backache. After the class, he told me that he had slept well for the first time
in many days. Sachin is a very obedient student. He surrenders to the lesson
quite readily.”
Incidentally, Tendulkar is not Iyengar first cricketer student. It was DB
Deodhar. Comparing the two, Iyengar said: “He [Tendulkar] has the stamina to do
it. DB Deodhar used to have knee problems but with the help of yoga, he played
past his 50s, so Tendulkar could also have continued to play.”
After Iyengar passed away last year, Tendulkar remembered and paid rich tributes
to Iyengar: “I will always be thankful for the wonderful
asanas he
taught me. Practising those
asanas helped me a lot throughout my career.
Over a decade later, I was faced with a peculiar problem in my foot causing
immense pain and discomfort. I was advised surgery for the same which I was not
too sure of. At that time, Zak [Zaheer Khan] suggested that I seek Guruji’s
advice. His positive spirit and guidance helped me to recover to an extent that
the surgery was not needed,” Tendulkar said.
“Guruji left for his heavenly abode and left us with fond memories of how he
touched our lives with his unique ways,” Tendulkar said in his condolence
message. “Guruji maybe not around anymore, but the warmth of his smile and his
healing touch will remain with us forever. May God give us all the strength to
overcome this loss and may his soul rest in peace.”
Iyengar also helped Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid in the past.
“It is very simple. Yoga is a science
and has several
asanas which can cure injuries and support quick rehabilitation.
Cricketers and sportsmen have benefited from yoga over the years and hence keep
coming to me,” Iyengar was quoted by
DNA.
“Both Dravid and Kumble have learnt yoga from my students, Omkar and
Murlidhar, in Bangalore. Omkar teaches yoga to cricket trainees at the National
Cricket Academy in Bangalore,” he said.
Speaking on Zaheer’s injured ankle, which he helped the pacer recover from
in 2011, the Yoga Guru said, “There was a knot in his ankle following the
surgery. I suggested a few specific
asanas, which helped loosen up the
ankle. This brought him relief and resulted in his being able to bowl more
easily. He did very well as a bowler when he recently played for the Mumbai
team.”
Despite being a sick child, Iyengar lived for 95 years, largely due to yoga.
Iyengar was reported that even at an age of 90, he practiced yoga for four
hours.
In 2014, he received the second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan,
from the President of India