DR. ANANDA BALAYOGI BHAVANANI
Direndra Brahmachari through his Ashram in Jammu and Prof RC Gupta and Prof GD Sharma through the Himachal University have been instrumental in propagating Yoga in the Northwestern frontier. It is to the credit of Prof RC Gupta and Prof GD Sharma that HP University Yoga Department a well-known name all over the country.
The Chinmaya Mission with its Sidhbari Ashram has carried the message of Swami Chinmayananda (1926-1993) and his Gita Yagnas very efficiently. A great orator, Swami Chinmayananda was known for his skill in explaining the most difficult of concepts to the people through the simplest of words. He inspired a great many youths to take up the path of Karma Yoga and serve the motherland by spreading the message of the Gita to every nook and corner of India. The Vedantic message of Swami Chinmayananda is being continued by the Sannyasins of the Chinmaya order under the able guidance of the charismatic Swami Tejomayananda. The youth wing under Swami Mitrananda is achieving great progress in passing on the message at the youth and children level. The Swamis of this order are known for their great oratory skills and Chinmaya Ashrams are now found all over India. The Chinmaya residential schools are becoming a household name with high education standards as well as a deep emphasis on Indian culture.
Swami Shyam with his international meditation Institute at Kullu has been teaching the Advaita Vedanta and has a large European and Canadian following.
Brahmarishi Vishwatma Bawra with his Ashram in Pinjore, Haryana was a magnificent personality. An eloquent speaker on Yoga and allied philosophies he was always in great demand at all conferences all over the country and the world. Swami Yogananda and other disciples at his Ashram are carrying on his work.
Ever since Swami Jyothirmayananda, a disciple of Swami Sivananda left India and steeled in Miami in 1962, there was no one to spread his message in India. Yogirathna Dr Shashi Bhushan Mishra a medical doctor has filled this hiatus and dedicated his life to serving his Guru. He founded the Indian chapter of the International Yoga Society at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh in 1978 and has been publishing all of his Gurus books as well as the monthly journal Yoganjali ever since. He and his wife are also running a clinic and orphanage in their Gurus name.
Yoga in Contemporary India: An overview is an essay written Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani. This article series keenly observes the lineages of well-known Yoga schools and research centres in India.
Dr. Ananda is the chairman of the ICYER (International Centre for Yoga Education and Research) Ananda Ashram in Pondicherry, India. You can find more information about him in on his websites: www.icyer.com, www.rishiculture.org
