Swami Sivananda, born in 1896 and known as India’s oldest man, visited Amma in Amritapuri today. He has dedicated his life of 127 years to the welfare of humanity and last year, was honoured with the Padma Shri Award. As a positive thinker, his motto is: “The world is my home, its people are my fathers and mothers, to love and serve them is my religion.”
Born on August 8, 1896 in Sylhet district (now in Bangladesh), Sivananda Baba’s parents were beggars who passed away when he was just six years old. After their funeral rites, he was brought to his Guruji’s Ashram at Nabadwip in West Bengal. Guru Omkarananda Goswami raised him by teaching practical living through spiritual principles and yogic practices.
Sivananda Baba’s mission includes serving the underprivileged in North-East India at places such as Varanasi, Puri, Haridwar, and Nabadwip. For the last 50 years, he has helped 400 to 600 beggars with leprosy at Puri in a spirit of dignity by personally meeting them at their hutments.
Just like Amma, his life is one based on the joy of giving and he encourages others to pursue the same.
