Pune’s Iyengar Institute gets first Prime Minister’s award for yoga development
The announcement about the award was made on Tuesday ahead of World Yoga day
Pune-based Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute was selected as first recipient of the Prime Minister’s award for outstanding contribution for promotion and development of yoga for the year 2017.
Established on January 19, 1975 by BKS Iyengar, the world’s most influential yoga guru, the institute attracts students from all over the world to learn yoga. The Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute has worked to spread yoga internationally. The institute has published several books on yoga, of which, many have been translated into multiple languages.
The announcement about the award was made on Tuesday ahead of World Yoga day. During the second International day of Yoga celebrations at Chandigarh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the awards for promotion of the ancient Indian spiritual discipline.
Iyengar has been credited with rediscovering yoga by changing some of its techniques to deliver maximum impact. He focused on precision and alignment, which later came to be known as Iyengar yoga. Iyengar practised for several years to improvise on patanjali hatha yoga. In order to acquire right postures and deliver maximum impact, the yoga guru made use of straps and objects like wooden blocks.
Following the announcement, a committee was constituted for the screening of nominations. In its first year after the award was announced, the committee received 85 nominations. The selection was done from among 85 nominations received and 15 more recommended by a screening committee, said the agency report.
The jury, chaired by cabinet secretary, with additional secretary to the Prime Minister, foreign secretary, secretary (AYUSH), and Veerendra Heggade as members, examined the screening committees’ recommendations.
“After considering all relevant facts and other inputs, the jury recommended that the award for the current year be given to Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute,” said a senior official from AYUSH ministry.
Following this, the ministry of AYUSH developed the guidelines for the awards and two committees -- screening committee (for preliminary evaluation) and evaluation committee (Jury)-- were constituted so that a transparent process is followed in finalising the awards.
The nomination for the awards were invited through open advertisements. The screening committee shortlisted 16 names from among the applications received after detailed discussions and analysis.
In addition, the committee also recommended for consideration of 15 names of eminent yoga individuals and organisations who have longstanding credibility in the field of promotion of yoga but whose names did not figure in the applications received.
(With agency inputs)