nationality profession name birth_date image article_title birth_name
indian yogi , photographer , and mountaineer swami sundaranand 1926 thumb swami sundaranand
 swami sundaranand
swami sundaranand

swami sundaranand -lrb- born 1926 in india -rrb- is a yogi , photographer , author and mountaineer who lectures widely in india on threats to the ganges river and the loss of himalayan glaciers due to global warming .
sundarananda was a student of the reclusive yoga master swami tapovan maharaj -lrb- 1889 -- 1957 -rrb- , who wrote the classic yoga book `` wanderings in the himalayas '' -lrb- himagiri vihar -rrb- about yogic life in the himalayas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries .
sundaranand lived with swami tapovan in the then inaccessible area of gangotri at the source of the ganges river , considered one of india 's most sacred places .
since 1946 , he has lived next to the ganges in gangotri , at 10,400 feet , in a modest hut -lrb- kuti -rrb- which his master swami tapovan bequeathed to him on his death .
swami sundaranand has lived there alone throughout the severest winters without any comforts or conveniences .
he has witnessed up close the gradual shrinking of the gangotri glacier from which the ganges springs forth , and has chronicled his devotion to the natural beauty of the indian himalayas as an accomplished photographer .
a museum devoted to environmental protection and spiritual guidance , containing swami sundaranand 's himalayan photography , is now in the planning stages .
it will be located in gangotri on the property of sundaranand and his master .
as an ascetic , he took the brahmacharya sadhu vow over 59 years ago and now devotes his life to a rigorous daily practice of meditation and spiritual practices .
he continues to be a principal advocate for the ecological preservation of the himalayas , the ganges and its source at gangotri .
over 50 years , he has taken more than 100,000 photos of the shrinking gangotri glacier in the indian himalayas .
he now travels india raising awareness of the gangotri 's rapid demise .
nicknamed `` the `` sadhu '' who clicks '' because of his photography , he is a noted mountain climber having scaled over 25 himalayan peaks , climbing twice with sir edmund hillary and tenzing norgay .
sir edmund hillary paid his respects to swami sundaranad in the 1980s at his gangotri hut .
of the gangotri glacier , swami sundaranand says : `` in 1949 , when i first saw the glacier , i felt as if all my sins were washed away and i had truly attained rebirth .
but now , it is impossible to experience that ganga of the past . ''
swami sundaranand is also the subject of a feature documentary film produced by the center for healing arts titled `` personal time with swamiji '' .
the film was directed and edited by victor demko and was shot at sundaranand 's home in gangotri .
swami sundaranand is the author of the book `` himalaya : through the lens of a sadhu '' with over 425 photographs spanning 60 years of his work .
he sought to capture the eternal in nature and to document the region as it once was with a special emphasis on planting the seeds of hope and inspiration to solve the environmental concerns of the area .
a lookout point and plaque down river from gangotri has been built and dedicated to the swami 's work and efforts .
the book also contains a letter of endorsement from the former indian prime minister atal bihari vajpayee .
