Mysuru-origin Ishwar to inaugurate World Yoga Championship at Italy in July
by N. Niranjan Nikam
I was at my hairdresser Ravi’s saloon last week waiting for my turn when he was in conversation with another customer and the word Yoga was uttered. He asked him was it not something which the foreigners did and I at that point intervened and told them how Yoga was from India and two of the best exponents B.K.S. Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois, who spread yoga to the world, were from Mysuru.
A few days later, just to give credence to Ravi’s understanding that it was something the foreigners did, came the news that a British-born six-year-old UK National Yoga Championship Gold medallist, who has his roots in Mysuru, was visiting the city with his father, a Silver medallist at the same Championship.
I was eagerly looking forward to meet the father-son duo, who were visiting Mysuru. We met at the Windflower Spa and Resort and even as I waited for the child prodigy to appear, I was thinking how this precocious child who had won not just some event but a championship that puts body, mind and soul together be. A thought ran through my mind has he already attained that level of being that nothing disturbs him and he is very poised, controlled, and confident and in yoga like stance all the time.
The cute, sweet looking boy Ishwar Vishwanath Sharma emerged, all of six years in a white full arm shirt, shorts and a typical boyhood cut that we have all sported during our growing up years. He immediately got busy, even as his father Dr. N. Vishwanath, who had chosen some spots for him to do his asanas for the photographs, had gone to change into yoga gear.
Ishwar’s eyes fell on the big chess pawns laid out on the ground and he decided to demonstrate there. Ishwar then, wearing his Gold Medal started performing some of the asanas like the yoganidrasana, dhanurasana and vrikshanasana and also naming them.
Even as I also watched fully impressed, even as our photographer got busy clicking, wondering how this kid at this age could show so much of concentration, it snapped and suddenly like the normal child he is, otherwise, began to throw tantrums.
His father Dr. Vishwanath was just not able to convince him anymore that he should do some more asanas so that more pictures could be taken.
I was glad that the innocent six-year-old has stayed just that in spite of achieving fame at such a young age. As he went off to play with his cousin and grandmother, Dr. Vishwanath recounted those unbelievable, once in a life-time achievement of his son and his own at the national stage in UK.
“I have been practicing yoga since the last 25 years. It has helped me quite a lot in my profession both mentally and physically. Ishwar started watching me do my yoga from the age of 4. By age 5 he started doing the asanas himself,” recalls Dr. Vishwanath.
He then trained for almost one year and apart from his father, Ishwar was also given special training by Pushpita, a yoga expert from Bengaluru. His training increased from half hour to three hours as Dr. Vishwanath had decided to enter him into the National Yoga Championship.
Ishwar struck gold in his very first attempt on April 16, 2016, beating bigger and stronger boys four to five years his senior in the Under-11 Category. And to add to the family’s kitty, Dr. Vishwanath bagged the silver in the men’s category.
“I was definitely stunned by my son’s and my own performance. After all, we were participating in such an event for the first time,” exulted Dr. Vishwanath.
Immediately the BBC Television was at their doorsteps shooting the kid and the father and the next day they were under the arc lights in the television studios.
Ishwar, who is studying in Steephill School, Kent, in the first standard (Upper-one) is in big demand teaching yoga to his classmates and he is being called to all other places too to demonstrate his skills.
Dr. Vishwanath wants to see that his son is ready when that day comes and he is looking at 2024 when it is likely to happen. “But more importantly, for me it should be a part of his life where his body, mind and spirit is in perfect balance than just winning championships,” feels Dr. Vishwanath. He revealed that Ishwar is going to inaugurate the World Yoga Championship to be held at Italy in July but cannot participate because of his age. He said that he will also be competing by virtue of winning the silver medal representing the UK.
Dr. Vishwanath and his wife Dr. Mamatha Vishwanath are both Radiologists and have a daughter Indira, who is four- years-old. Ishwar is the grandson of late K.S. Nanjundeshwar of the well-known Rekha Studio on Dhanvantri Road.
Let us all hope that the Indian-origin child prodigy continues to strike perfect poise and balance and brings glory to the Indian community the world over.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / June 05th, 2016