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The millennia-old Yoga tradition was introduced in a large scale in the West, at the beginning of the past century. Among the foremost Indian exponents of Yoga was Sri Shyam Sundar Goswami and his close disciple, Dr. Dinabandhu Pramanick. Born at Santipur, Northern Bengal, of a musician, philosopher and physical culturist who was active in India’s struggle to gain independence from British rule, Sri Goswami became part of a 700-year old family tradition, living in a harmonious blend of knowledge and spirituality. One of his ancestor became King Hatnabati’s guru and the spiritual heir of famous bhakti yogi Chaitanya. Still today in India, the name Goswami is notoriously linked to learning and teaching. However, the reason for Sri Goswami to dedicate his whole life to Yoga was not his spiri-tual family heritage, but a frail constitution from childhood and the encouragement of a celebrated 110-year old physical culturist, Kali Singha, who taught under two years the then 17-year old teen those yogic exercises that aim at making the body healthy and strong.
At that time there was a Professor Rammurti, celebrated for his phenomenal strength he acquired through yoga practice, like supporting an elephant on his chest. This was crucial in determining once for all the young Goswami to dedicate himself seriously to the practice of Yoga. As if by the intervention of some higher power, Balaka Bharati, a great master of Hatha Yoga, crossed his path. Goswami was then about twenty years old. The yogi initiated him into Hatha Yoga and exposed the whole science to his diciple. Faithful to yogic tradition, he practiced in the presence of his Guru and when Balaka Bharati became persuaded his diciple could go by himself, he retired to his hermitage in the Himalaya.
A few years later, he would meet a great Laya Yoga master who initiated him into the science of chakras and concentration. Notwithstanding his previous health handicap, Sri Goswami developed an extraordinary psychophysical strength.
For about seven decades Sri Goswami dedicated his full time to study, experiment and teach the vast field of Yoga. In his studies were included a large range of topics such as anatomy, physiology, neurology, working psychology, physical education and nutrition. Besides, he was always interested to develop his exegesis on metaphysical issues and a scientific curiosity on the latest advances on the innermost core of matter. The Yoga master with solid academic credentials was able to reunite harmoniously learning and action, deep thinking with pragmatism, body culture and spirituality. For thirty years, Sri Goswami was teaching at his father’s eponymous Yoga Institute. Accompanied by his disciple Pramanick, he toured the whole of India with the noble idea of giving access to all the classes of the society, irrespective of gender, faith or cast, to the science of Yoga. His lectures and demonstrations were primarily directed towards various educational institutions, more particularly the medical body but also to then ruling princes, maharajas (one of them christened him "The Lion of Bengal” and rajas, ministers and other similar officials. Asked formally by Mr.Krishna Menon, India’s ambassador in to the UK (late to become Defense minister), Shri Goswami went to represent his home country at the 1949 World Congress for Physical Culture, at Lingiaden, Sweden where 64 nations took part. Assisted by his faithful disciple Pramanick, Sri Goswami ’s lectures and demonstrations were highly appreciated during a world tour which would end when he was asked by a delegation of Swedish physicians to settle and teach Yoga, in Stockholm, Sweden. The Goswami Yoga Institute is most probably the most ancient Yoga institute in Europe. Together with his most advanced pupil, Dinabandu Pramanick, Sri Goswami had previously been giving lectures on and demonstrated to large audiences the art and science of hatha yoga. Throughout India, in the USA, Japan and Europe, mostly attended by members of the medical body. His long yogic voyage ended in Sweden when a delegation of physicians asked him to settle and teach Yoga in the Swedish capital.
Hard-working till his last days, Sri Shyam Sundar Goswami passed away at the age of 87, in 1978. This would conclude a yogi’s remarkable career filled with scientific search, experiments and an indefatigable teaching. Still today Prof. Goswami is considered at the international level as an authority and one of the foremost exponents in modern time of the science of Yoga. Still today the charismatic Lion of Bengal shines forth as an inspiring source in many disciples’ heart. Since the demise of Sri Goswami, his teachings have continued under the leadership of his close disciples, Mrs Karin Schalander in Sweden and Basile Catoméris, abroad. Today Basile Catoméris’ Yoga classes in Sweden is lead by his close disciple Renée Lord. |
