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VOL. 10, ISSUE 3 (2025)
Institutionalizing yoga in Jammu & Kashmir: A critical evaluation of Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari’s role in shaping its cultural and institutional landscape
Authors
Mohan Lal Gupta, Dr. Susheel Kumar, Shallini Gupta, Pankaj Kumar Gupta, Niraj Kumar, Sonia Gupta
Abstract
Influential Figure Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari
had a considerable role in popularizing Yoga in Jammu & Kashmir after it was
first introduced by him in the valley in mid-20th century, with the
introduction of this ancient form, this State's cultural milieu and
institutional domain began to change. The article offers a critical assessment
of Brahmachari's contributions, and discusses how his yoga was presented as a
set of innovative techniques that blended ancient teachings with contemporary
science, thereby opening up ways to integrate yoga into state-sponsored
educational, health and cultural programmes. With the founding of Vishwayatan
Yogashram in Jammu and through partnerships with government institutions,
Brahmachari promoted yoga and shaped public opinion that yoga is the symbol of
Indian cultural heritage. Yet his focus on Sanskritization and engagement with
political power make one wonder if his yoga could become an instrument for
ideology and for subordinating the vernacular. The paper draws attention to the
imperative of more academic interest in Brahmachari’s legacy, taking into
account all the positive (i.e., better public health, yogic knowledge transfer)
and the negative (i.e., the clashes of spiritual and political authority)
impacts of his work. By analyzing Brahmachari as contested hagiography, this
analysis offers a fuller understanding of yoga's institutionalization in
post-independence India and its entangled relationship to regional identity,
cultural politics, and nationalist ideologies.
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Pages:50-57
How to cite this article:
Mohan Lal Gupta, Dr. Susheel Kumar, Shallini Gupta, Pankaj Kumar Gupta, Niraj Kumar, Sonia Gupta "Institutionalizing yoga in Jammu & Kashmir: A critical evaluation of Swami Dhirendra Brahmachari’s role in shaping its cultural and institutional landscape". National Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, Vol 10, Issue 3, 2025, Pages 50-57
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