About Mumtaz Ali (Sri M)
Sri M – spiritual teacher, social reformer, educationist, author and global speaker – was born
Mumtaz Ali, into a Muslim family on November 6, 1949 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. His
transformational journey, from a young boy to a living yogi, is a story of single-minded
discipline and dedication.
At the age of nineteen, irresistably drawn to the snow clad Himalayas, Sri M embarked on his
journey to seek a true Master. Maheshwarnath Babaji, a senior disciple of Sri Guru Babaji, took
Sri M under his tutelage and initiated him into the Nath tradition. For three and half years, Sri M
lived and travelled extensively through the Himalayas with him. What he learnt from
Maheshwarnath Babaji transformed his consciousness.
As instructed by his Guru, Sri M returned to the plains and lead a quiet, working family life
while preparing to teach all that he had learnt and experienced. A few years after his Master‘s
passing, Sri M received the signal to commence his teaching mission. Sri M established The
Satsang Foundation in twenty years ago, as a meeting point for spiritual seekers of all
persuasions. Conversant with the teachings of most major religions, Sri M‘s teachings seek to
transcend the outer-shell of all religionsby exploring thecore and nurturing the innate goodness
in every human being. In his words: ―Go to the core. Theories are of no use.‖
Under The Satsang Foundation, Sri M has initiated projects for social development in the areas
of education, health, skill development and environment. It runs free schools and a skill
development centre in Madanapalle in Andhra Pradesh and Lathira in U.P., India. It also has a
community health centre where it facilitates quality free treatment for the community in
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Madanapalle. MyTree is an initiative which actively encourages planting of trees. Projects on the
anvil are a hospital to provide quality health care in Madanapalle and a Centre for Exploring
Consciousness in Chowdepalle.
The Foundation advocates that humanity is One — transcending religious, racial, geographical,
cultural and ideological differences. To spread the message of Peace and Harmony, Sri M led the
Walk of Hope in 2015-16 from Kanyakumari to Kashmir spanning 15 months and 7500 kms
across 11 states of India.
Sri M‘s autobiography, ―Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master – A Yogi‘s Autobiography‖ was
published in 2011 and became an instant bestseller. A sequel, ―The Journey Continues‖ was
published in 2017. Sri M has also authored several texts on the Upanishads, on Meditation, and a
novel ―Shunya‖. His book ‗On Meditation – Finding infinite bliss and power within,‘ was
published by Penguin India. Two books were released in 2020 – ‗Homecoming and Other Short
Stories‘, a collection of short stories again by Penguin and a translation and commentary on
Patanjali‘s Yoga Sutras – titled ‗Yoga also for the Godless‘ published by Westland Publications.
All his books have been translated into many Indian languages.
As a key-note speaker, Sri M has been invited to many institutions like the World Health
Organization, United Nations Office in Switzerland, World Bank in the United States of America
and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He has addressed corporates in India and
overseas. To name a few, Google and Yahoo in the US, respected business and technical
education institutes like the Indian Institute of Managements in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata
and Mumbai and is a faculty member of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Sri M has been
appointed Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad in September
2021.
Among the many awards and honours he has received for his contribution to society, Sri M was
conferred with the Padma Bhushan in January 2020, one of the highest civilian awards of India,
for distinguished service of high order in spirituality.
Sri M is married and has two children. Based in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, a three hour
drive from Bangalore, he leads a simple life. Appreciative of music, he also paints in his leisure
time.
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