Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

SRI M IN UK FOR INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA 2018

By Mohini Kent

PRINCE Charles and India’s prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Centre of Excellence for Yoga Research and Traditional Medicine in the UK on April 17, when the Indian prime minister was in London for the CHOGM Commonwealth conference.


Together, they unveiled a plaque at the British Museum at an event attended by 300 guests. The plaque will later be permanently installed at the University of Westminster, where trials will be held on yoga and traditional Indian medicine. It is widely known that Prince Charles is a supporter of traditional Indian medicines, and both he and Camilla have had Ayurveda treatments when they visited India.

Modi set a global ball rolling when the UN General Assembly declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga (IDY). The Indian prime minister is a long-term yoga practitioner, and now Sri M, a renowned yogi, will be in London next week when he will give talks at the British parliament on June 21, as well as at the Nehru Centre and Milton Keynes, and also hold workshops in Uxbridge.  He will also conduct a session outside parliament on International Day of Yoga, on the green in Westminster.  On June 23 he will lead a Walk of Hope in Edinburgh.

The event at the House of Commons is sponsored by the Indian High Commission and the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Indian Traditional Sciences, whose secretariat Amarjeet Bhamra’s avowed intention is to take the preventive benefits of traditional Indian medicine to the wider British public.

Sri M was intensively trained by his Himalayan guru in yoga, the Vedas and Upanishads, Ayurveda, and other branches of knowledge. He lived in hidden Himalayan caves with his master, and even travelled secretly to Tibet across the peaks. His incredible autobiography, Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master, gives us glimpses of some of the most esoteric knowledge of yogis: perhaps it’s the first time that such detailed information has been  shared.

His manner is deceptively simple and friendly, but his teachings are firmly rooted in the wisdom of the ancient rishis. He gives us a practical compass to follow in our bewildering age, going beyond religion, such as “Use your mind. Nobody says: Put your brain in a fridge. No cult. No dependence. The Bhagavad Gita refers to shaking up as an upside down tree, which means stand your ordinary thinking on its head.” He works tirelessly to spread the universal teachings of the Vedas and Upanishads, travelling across the globe.

Sri M released his first novel on May 18 in Delhi. Titled Shunya, it is the story of an avadhuta, or enlightened soul.  Although he has written several books on the Upanishads and the deeper aspects of Hinduism, it is perhaps in the pages of the novel that he further reveals himself, as Indian politician and Congressman Dr Karan Singh said at its launch, which was attended by actress Dimple Kapadia, Indian minister Menaka Gandhi and other prominent personalities. It was so over-subscribed that there were people seated on the floor in the aisles.

Yoga and profound spirituality are India’s unique gifts to the world, and yoga addresses the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of being human.

Sri M leads by example, living simply, kindly and compassionately. He says, “See yourself clearly.  Don’t keep blaming yourself. Don’t bring yourself down. Don’t judge, don’t justify. Free yourself from limitations. RIP could also mean Rise If Possible. Respect yourself. Measure yourself in communication with the world. Any place you live in can be turned to heaven and hell – it is up to you.”

His visit t the UK is a unique opportunity to attend a true master’s teachings.

More For You

Modi arrives in Saudi Arabia to strengthen strategic ties

Prime minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday (22)

Modi arrives in Saudi Arabia to strengthen strategic ties

INDIA’S prime minister Narendra Modi arrived in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah on Tuesday (22) for his third visit as prime minister to the oil-rich Gulf kingdom.

The trip came a day after Modi held talks with US vice-president JD Vance in India, with New Delhi looking to seal a trade deal with Washington and stave off punishing tariffs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Veterans urge nation to 'unite and remember' in VE Day letter

Samina Mahroof, a cutter at the JW Plant Flag Company works on flag orders ahead of the VE Day 80th anniversary on March 18, 2025 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

Veterans urge nation to 'unite and remember' in VE Day letter

TEN surviving Second World War veterans, including three from the British Indian Army, have written an open letter urging people across the UK to come together and remember the sacrifices made during the war.

Launched on Wednesday (23) by the /Together Coalition, the letter is part of a wider campaign marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, which falls on May 5.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vinay Narwal

Lieutenant Vinay Narwal of the Indian Navy, 26, from Haryana, was among those killed in the attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam.

Photo: X/@indiannavy

Navy officer on honeymoon, grandfather vacationing with grandkids among 26 killed in Kashmir attack

LIEUTENANT Vinay Narwal of the Indian Navy had been married just six days earlier. He was on his honeymoon in Pahalgam when he was shot in the head by a terrorist while eating bhelpuri with his wife.

Manjunatha, a tourist from Karnataka, was asked if he was Hindu or Muslim before being shot dead.

Keep ReadingShow less
Who is Saifullah Kasuri, the  mastermind behind Pahalgam attack?

Saifullah Kasuri

Who is Saifullah Kasuri, the  mastermind behind Pahalgam attack?

THE tourist town of Pahalgam in India's Jammu and Kashmir witnessed one of the worst terror attacks in the region on Tuesday (22) since the abrogation of Article 370. A group of heavily armed terrorists opened fire on unsuspecting tourists at Baisaran meadow, killing 26 people and injuring many more.

The attack sent shockwaves across the country and drew condemnation from leaders both in India and abroad. Within hours, a group known as The Resistance Front (TRF), widely believed to be a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hertfordshire Police treat vandalism of Muslim graves as Islamophobic hate crime

The damage to plaques at Carpenders Park Cemetery has sparked outrage in the Muslim community

Hertfordshire Police treat vandalism of Muslim graves as Islamophobic hate crime

Grant Williams

HERTFORDSHIRE Police have said they are “confident” the desecration of Muslim graves at a cemetery in north London “was a religiously motivated act”.

The leader of the council that owns the cemetery visited the site last week to speak to grieving families following the horrific incident.

Keep ReadingShow less