MP yoga enthusiast suffers ‘heart attack’ while driving, dies

The incident occurred while he was driving to Tulsi Sarovar Park to conduct his daily yoga class. His car unexpectedly came to a halt near the park, where he was found unconscious by his followers, who were waiting for him to lead the session

Bhopal: In a somewhat strange case, a veterinary doctor named Dr Pawan Singhal, a locally popular veterinarian and committed yoga enthusiast from Madhya Pradesh’s Ashoknagar district, tragically passed away on Sunday morning, possibly due to a heart attack.

The incident occurred while he was driving to Tulsi Sarovar Park to conduct his daily yoga class. His car unexpectedly came to a halt near the park, where he was found unconscious by his followers, who were waiting for him to lead the session.

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Despite their swift efforts to transport him to the district hospital, he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Dr Singhal earned widespread recognition for his dedication to fitness and yoga over the past six years.

His friend and neighbour, Hitendra Budhauliya, told IANS that Dr Singhal was a man of extraordinary physical endurance. He had completed a remarkable 100-kilometre run from Ashoknagar to Guna and back within 11 hours — a feat that was admired by local people.

Additionally, newspaper clippings posted on his Facebook account indicate that he completed the same distance in 11 hours on February 6, 2023. Reports also suggest that a year earlier, he successfully covered 70 kilometres in seven hours, inspiring his followers to attempt distances ranging from three km to as much as 90 km during the same event.

He had also performed 5100 times Surya Namaskar – an energy-consuming exercise in Yoga. On the morning of his passing, Dr Singhal arrived at the park around 4.45 a.m., adhering to his daily ritual of running two km before driving to the Yoga class.

His followers and students, initially waited for him to step out of his car but grew concerned when he did not emerge. Upon opening the car door, they discovered him unconscious. He was rushed to the district hospital, where an ECG confirmed his death.

The station in-charge from the Kotwali area police station told IANS that it was a natural death, therefore no post-mortem was required. Dr Singhal was a cherished figure in Ashoknagar, widely regarded as a “yoga Guru” for his decade-long efforts in promoting health and wellness through Yoga and spiritual rituals.

His disciplined lifestyle, emphasis on healthy eating and consistent routines earned him admiration from the local community. A police official familiar with Dr Singhal described him as a true advocate for health and vitality.

Just a day before his passing, he had shared updates on yoga and yajna (yajna or yagna also known as Hawan in Hinduism) sessions planned for Navdurga (Hindu Goddess Durga) on Facebook, underscoring his unwavering commitment to holistic well-being.

Reacting to the medical situation, Dr D.K. Bhargava, civil surgeon of District Hospital, Ashoknagar told IANS, “Many people suffer from silent heart attack. It means they have no noticeable symptoms like chest pain, etc., also sudden cardiac spasms may be one of the reasons. It can happen to even an apparently healthy and fit person appearance-wise. It is an example of such even as he (the vet) had no known history of cardiac issues to my knowledge.”