SANGAREDDY: Life for this 36-year-old Sangareddy resident is like a gearshift between the ordinary and extraordinary. By profession, he parks cars and guards buildings; by passion, he parks excuses and guards dreams. About six years ago, Bachampally Ajya Kumar began sprinting, not from the starting line, but from the grind of double shifts as a security guard and driver.
Today, he’s a maestro of equilibrium, defying gravity on one hand and societal limits on the other. His secret? A yoga pose so daring — a variant of the adho mukha vrksasana — that it left judges at an international-level competition in Nepal breathless. Add a world-record 60m dash (6.25 seconds) to his feats, and Ajya proves that life’s tightropes — work, passion and age — are catalysts for his ascent.
Originally from Pillutla village in Narsapur mandal of Medak district, Ajya’s journey began after his father Surender, an employee at Ordnance Factory Medak, introduced him to yoga. His father was an avid yoga enthusiast and as a kid, Ajya would just mirror his father’s yoga routines. .
At the recently held international sports meet in Nepal from April 3 to 7, Ajya stunned the audience and organisers alike. He clinched four gold medals — three in running events (60, 100 and 200 metres) and one in yoga, where he showcased an extraordinary pose: balancing his entire body upside down on one hand. The feat, suggested by a friend, turned out to be the showstopper, earning him a special felicitation on the spot.
“I believe age is never a barrier. If you set your mind to it and practise hard, anything is possible,” he tells TNIE.
Despite his busy schedule, Ajya also offers yoga training to others. Competitors from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal participated in the Nepal event, but Ajya stood out for the grit and grace behind every stride and stretch.