Nonagenarian yoga exponent V. Nanammal died at her residence near Coimbatore on Saturday, October 26, sources from her family said. She was 99.
Hailing from Zamin Kaliapuram near Pollachi, Nanammal learnt yoga from her father.
Nanammal had trained thousands of students over the years, and she had groomed more than 600 yoga instructors, including 36 from her own family. The instructors she groomed have gone on to teach yoga in several countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, United Kingdom, China, United States and Australia. Along with her son V. Balakrishnan, she had been running the Ozone Yoga Centre in Bharathi Nagar in Ganapathy since 1971.
She was conferred the Padma Shri in January, 2019, which she said is a recognition of her efforts to make people lead a healthy life. She had taken a vow that she will continue to train people in Yoga even after 100 years of age.
Hailing from an agricultural family, her family members had excelled in rural folk arts including Silambam. Her husband, Venkatasamy, is also no more. She is survived by five children, 12 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Ten days after her husband's death anniversary, she fell from her cot and had been bed ridden for almost a month. She had been on a liquid diet, consuming water, tender coconut, or some form of juice.
Nanammal had bagged 150 awards, six national-level gold medals and Yoga Ratna award of the Government of Karnataka in 2014.
She had never taken to any form of allopathic medicine for any illness and remained steadfast in her opposition to it.
