Former US President Barack Obama, Dalai Lama to visit Karnataka's Mandya in December

Barack Obama and Dalai Lama will visit Karnataka's Mandya in December to lay the foundation stone of a Yoga and Meditation Centre.

Published on: Sep 1, 2023, 16:44:42 IST

By Yamini C S

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Former United States President Barack Obama and spiritual leader Dalai Lama are set to visit Karnataka this year to lay the foundation stone for an international yoga and meditation centre, news agency ANI reported. The duo are likely to arrive in Hallegere, Mandya district in December this year to lay the foundation stone for the International Yoga and Meditation Centre, which is being built by the Bhutayi Trust.

The duo are likely to arrive in Hallegere, Mandya district in December this year.

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Mandya District in-charge Minister Cheluvaraya Swamy, along with a delegation including Dr Lakshminarasimha Murthy, who is the president of the trust, met Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday and requested him to arrange helipads, roads, drains, electricity and drinking water for the programme.

CM Siddaramaiah “responded positively” to the requests and said he will hold discussions on the same, the report added. Dr Lakshminarasimha Murthy is the father of Dr Vivek Murthy, who was Barack Obama's medical advisor. Dr Lakshminarasimha Murthy owned 13 acres of of inherited land and has hence planned to establish an international yoga and meditation centre via his trust, estimated to cost him around ₹80 crore.

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Mandya MLA Dinesh Gooligowda has decided to back the trust by providing a grant of ₹10 lakh from his regional development fund.

(With inputs from ANI)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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