Dhirendra Brahmachari
Encyclopedia
Dhirendra Brahmachari born Dhirendra Choudhary, was the yoga mentor of Indira Gandhi
- a former Prime Minister of India. He ran ashram
s in Delhi
, Jammu
, Katra
and Mantalai (J & K) and wrote books on yoga.
He was born in Bihar
in 1924 in the district of Madhubani, in the village of Baseith Chanpura. Inspired by reading the Bhagavad Gita
, he left home at the age of thirteen and went to Varanasi. His guru was Maharshi Kartikeya whose ashram was at Gopal-Khera, about twelve miles from Lucknow
. Dhirendra Brahmachari studied yoga and associated subjects there. In the 1960s he was invited to travel to the U.S.S.R. as a Hatha Yoga
expert to train Soviet cosmonauts. Jawaharial Nehru later invited him to teach yoga to his daughter, Indira Gandhi
, to improve her health. He became influential politically in 1975-77 when Mrs Gandhi dissolved Parliament, declared a state of emergency and suspended civil liberties. The nature of his relationship with Indira Gandhi was the subject of speculation and he was known in some circles as 'the Indian Rasputin'. He was at times a controversial figure.
In the late 1970s, Dhirendra Brahmachari promoted the benefits of yoga in a weekly broadcast on Doordarshan
, the state-owned television network. He introduced yoga as a subject of study in Delhi administered schools, a considerable innovation. In 1981 he also introduced yoga in the Kendriya Vidyalayas, or central government schools under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
He was the owner of Vishwayatan Yogashram in the centre of Delhi, now known as the Morarji Desai
National Yoga Institute. He also owned campuses in Jammu, Katra and Mantalai. These were closed after his death and have not reopened.
He wrote books on yoga in Hindi and English including 'Yogic Sukshma Vyayama' and 'Yogasana Vijnana'.
He was part-owner of an arms manufacturing business in Jammu and owner of a number of properties later deemed illegal. The ownership of these has passed to the Indian government.
He died on 9 June 1994 when his private plane crashed near Mantalai, Jammu. The circumstances of his death are not fully known.
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
- a former Prime Minister of India. He ran ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
s in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Jammu
Jammu
Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...
, Katra
Katra
Katra or Katra Vaishno Devi, as it is popularly known, is a small town in Jammu and Kashmir, India, situated in the foothills of the Trikuta Mountains, where the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi is located...
and Mantalai (J & K) and wrote books on yoga.
He was born in Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
in 1924 in the district of Madhubani, in the village of Baseith Chanpura. Inspired by reading the Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
, he left home at the age of thirteen and went to Varanasi. His guru was Maharshi Kartikeya whose ashram was at Gopal-Khera, about twelve miles from Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
. Dhirendra Brahmachari studied yoga and associated subjects there. In the 1960s he was invited to travel to the U.S.S.R. as a Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga , also called hatha vidya , is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika....
expert to train Soviet cosmonauts. Jawaharial Nehru later invited him to teach yoga to his daughter, Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
, to improve her health. He became influential politically in 1975-77 when Mrs Gandhi dissolved Parliament, declared a state of emergency and suspended civil liberties. The nature of his relationship with Indira Gandhi was the subject of speculation and he was known in some circles as 'the Indian Rasputin'. He was at times a controversial figure.
In the late 1970s, Dhirendra Brahmachari promoted the benefits of yoga in a weekly broadcast on Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
, the state-owned television network. He introduced yoga as a subject of study in Delhi administered schools, a considerable innovation. In 1981 he also introduced yoga in the Kendriya Vidyalayas, or central government schools under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
He was the owner of Vishwayatan Yogashram in the centre of Delhi, now known as the Morarji Desai
Morarji Desai
Morarji Ranchhodji Desai was an Indian independence activist and the fourth Prime Minister of India from 1977–79. He was the first Indian Prime Minister who did not belong to the Indian National Congress...
National Yoga Institute. He also owned campuses in Jammu, Katra and Mantalai. These were closed after his death and have not reopened.
He wrote books on yoga in Hindi and English including 'Yogic Sukshma Vyayama' and 'Yogasana Vijnana'.
He was part-owner of an arms manufacturing business in Jammu and owner of a number of properties later deemed illegal. The ownership of these has passed to the Indian government.
He died on 9 June 1994 when his private plane crashed near Mantalai, Jammu. The circumstances of his death are not fully known.