Social News : Swami Sivananda – 123 years old or young?

Recently on various WhatsApp groups a video published by The News Minute is being shared:

NARRATIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

This video is being shared and slowly becoming viral on WhatsApp groups and social media due to a simple fact that seeing spry Swami Sivananda is very inspiring to people.

Various people & news media organisations have been publishing articles & videos about Swami Sivananda for years:

Mansworldindia
Hindustantimes

The News Minute published their video online on 12 Dec 2018, with the title “Meet Sivananda, the 123-year-old yoga enthusiast”, and the by-line as “He says bland food, yoga and a life without desire is the secret behind his long life!”

Swami Sivananda is renowned as the oldest Indian to have ever lived and was born on August 8, 1896, according to his passport details. Even though currently his name may not be listed in the super-centenarians list of Gerontology Research Group (GRG) or Guinness World Records, if the dates are true, then he is definitely a remarkable figure whose life has spanned across three centuries.

Source: The News Minute

Swami Sivananda could be the oldest living person, however it would be extremely difficult to independently verify his age, as even India’s passport authorities confirmed Sivananda’s age from a temple register.

“Born Sivananda Goswami on August 8, 1896, in Behala, then a village, his parents died on the same day when he was only four years old. His elder sister, who used beg for food with him, died two years later. Some relatives handed over the child to a Guruji who brought the boy to Navadwip. He moved around before settling down in Varanasi in 1979.” Source: Times Of India

Picture Source: Hindustan Times & AFP

The sprightly monk puts his longevity down to a disciplined life of yoga, no sex and a bland food. He’s right, in part. Yoga helps, as does nutritious food, but that’s not all you need to do live long. (Source: Hindustan Times & AFP)

Few other popular cases of super-centenarians from India:

• Shivakumara Swami:

“Shivakumara Swami is the 111-year-old seer of Siddaganga Mutt, located in the Tumkur taluk of Tumkur district in Karnataka. Swami was born in Magadi, Kingdom of Mysore, then part of British India, now a state of India.” Source: NewIndianExpress.com

• Ajiben Chandravadia:

“Ajiben Chandravadia, a 126-year-old woman from Rajkot who is the ‘oldest voter’ in the world, on Saturday cast her vote in Gujarat Assembly elections. A mother of six daughters and a son, Ajiben was accompanied by her family members to the polling booth where she cast her vote.

According to Ajiben’s voter ID card, made in 2007, her date of birth is January 1, 1891. As per these records, she would be one of the oldest woman in the world.” Source: DNA India

Our readers can know more about certified/verified super-centenarian from links below:

“Longevity claims are unsubstantiated cases of asserted human longevity. Those asserting lifespans of 110 years or more are referred to as supercentenarians. Many have either no official verification or are backed only by partial evidence. Cases where longevity has been fully verified, according to modern standards of longevity research, are reflected in an established list of supercentenarians based on the work of organizations such as the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) or Guinness World Records.” Source: wikipedia.org

Our readers can view the Wikipedia list of verified oldest people here.

Gerontology Research Group (GRG) links:	Guinness World Records link:
World Rankings	Oldest Male Living
Supercentenarians Pending Cases List

IN CONCLUSION

We find that some people inspire others to become a better version of themselves. Swami Sivananda, irrespective of whether he is a certified/verified supercentenarian or not, is very inspiring to lot of people and an example of true human spirit.

Fact Crescendo advises its readers to refrain from falling prey to unsubstantiated & misleading WhatsApp forwards and social media posts. When in doubt, visit various news media & fact checking websites online.

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-Fact Crescendo Team-