Claim
An old video of late yoga guru BKS Iyengar practicing yoga is viral with a false claim that it shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a young age. The video is viral on Facebook and WhatsApp with a caption that reads, “Age 26 when this man received Yogvidya from Sadhu Jayaanand Matha in Rushikesh. Try to recognize this person, who is our Prime Minister today.... Very rare & unbelievable video... You will also surprise.” BOOM also received the video via its WhatsApp helpline for verification.
Fact
We found several YouTube videos which stated that the person seen in the video is the late yoga guru Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja (BKS) Iyengar. BOOM reached out to Iyengar's granddaughter Abhijata Iyengar who confirmed that the man in the viral clip is B.K.S Iyengar. She told BOOM, "That video is by BKS Iyengar which was shot by Dr VB Gokhale, a surgeon from Belgaum in 1938 in Pune's Prabhat Studios which later became the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)." BOOM debunked the viral video in November, 2020 when it was viral with same false claims.