ADILABAD: A 91-year-old man gave a tough fight to all youngsters by performing advanced yoga exercises on the International Yoga Day on Tuesday. Akku Balliah, who has been living in an old-age home since 2016, said that he had been waking up at 5 am everyday and doing yoga after walking at least two kilometres.
Asked what was the secret behind his fitness at such an old age, he said, he had been actively performing yoga and surya namaskar since he was a child. He added that he never had any major health issues. “I have always kept away from bad habits like drinking and smoking. I begin my day at 5 am with 2-km walk and yoga exercises,” he said. Besides that, with his strong eyesight, Balliah spends the rest of the day stitching clothes.
Balliah shifted to an old-age home in the town after his wife passed away in 2016. Since then, he has not only kept up his fitness regime, but inspired other people living at the facility as well. “He inspired us so much that we appointed a full-time yoga instructor to conduct classes for all the people living in our facility. Now, almost 45 of 50 inmates join the classes every morning,” said R Surender, director of the facility.