Mysuru: When Khushi took to yoga as a 10-year-old to help her with a breathing problem, little did she know that she was setting out on a life journey peppered with awards and recognition. Although just 16 -years- old, she has achieved so much already that she will be honoured with a Rajyothsava award on Friday.
When her parents, RBI employee, Hemachandra S and his wife, Kumuda H, found Khushi had difficulty breathing while sleeping at night, they enrolled her as a 10- year- old in the Vivekananda Yoga and Research Centre, where she learnt yoga under the guidance of Dr P N Ganesh Kumar. Soon her health improved and Khushi went on to win several awards in state, national and international contests.
Now a first year pre-university student of Vijaya Vittala College, she has gained recognition for her rhythmic and artistic dance yoga and in 2014 took home the bronze medal in an international open yoga contest in Shanghai, China.
Two gold and two silver medals followed in the sixth Asian yoga sports championship in Vietnam in 2016 and four gold medals and one silver in the seventh Asian yoga sports championship in Singapore in 2017.
The following year she won a bronze in the world yoga championship in Argentina and one gold and one silver medal at the eight Asian yoga championship in Kerala the same year.
To top it, she won three gold medals at the ninth Asian yoga championship in South Korea last month.
Back home too Khushi has won several awards and brand ambassador at the international yoga day in Mysuru in 2017 and the Swachh Bharath ambassador of the Mysuru City Corporation in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
But the talented teen has her eyes set further. Meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 31 last year, she pleaded with him to include yoga in the priority sports category to allow it to feature in the Asian games and Olympics.
A good student too, she scored 91 per cent in her SSLC exam.
As for her future, she plans to pursue a degree in yoga and naturapathy and later do research in yoga and also teach it to others.
