Iyengar is yoga!
In India, we have a very strange practice; we do not give due recognition when the person is alive and bestow posthumous awards of the highest accord. One such personality which the Govt needs to surely wake up to is BKS Iyengar.
A 95 year old yoga practioner, one can say that it was he who actually made yoga popular worldwide that it is today. It was way back in 1952, when Iyengar’s best friend, Yehudi Menuhin, arranged for Iyengar to teach yoga in London, Switzerland, Paris and around Europe. And that is when the global journey began. And then in 1966, Iyengar went on to publish his first book, Light on Yoga and it was an international best-seller, translated into 17 languages. In total, Iyengar has authored 14 books. In USA, 3rd October 2005 was declared as "B.K.S.Iyengar Day" by San Franisco city's Board of Supervisors. In June 2011, the Beijing branch of China Post issued a commemorative stamp in his honour. And what leaves one truly baffled and speaks volumes about his contribution is that the Oxford dictionary, identified a new noun, “Iyengar” and it’s meaning - a type of astanga yoga...", named after B.K.S.Iyengar, its deviser. Till date, even at 95 years of age, he practices yoga and can stand in a shirasasna for half an hour.
Today, yoga has become the most “in” to do and everyone around the world, practices it. We owe this world wide recognition of yoga to Iyengar and it is high time the Govt recognizes his contribution. He is a Padmabhushan and a Padmashri and is truly worthy of a Bharat Ratna. By the way, the current Bharat Ratna, Sachin Tendulkar is also his student.