Meet Swami Satyananda Saraswati who accidentally played Basketball for India in Olympics and later turned monk!

Swami Satyananda Saraswati has a great diversity in his life. Born in Periyakulam, Tamil Nadu, he was Amarnath Nagarajan, who was passionate about many sports. As a youngster, he was good at many sports like Hockey, Athletics, and Basketball. He chose Basketball as a career option and represented India in some of the top tournaments. His journey at the Olympics was unexpected.

Amarnath was a part of India in Basketball in the 1970s and the 1980s. The Asian team was not that great but got an accidental chance to be at the Olympics. In 1980, the biggest sports event took place in Moscow. However, due to the Cold War, the USA pulled out of the tour, which ensured India qualified for the event. Nagarajan was ecstatic about India's qualification.

For many players in the team including him, it was equivalent to winning the gold medal. India did not do well in the 1980 Olympics but gave a tough fight to some of the teams. In an interview recently, Swami spoke about his young days as an athlete. After he retired from the sport, Amarnath worked as an Assistant GM at State Bank of India. It was another transition in the career of Nagarjan.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati recalls different phases of his life

His life after retirement was not that great. Satyananda lost his life which changed his outlook towards life. Amarnath continued to get attracted to the spiritual aspect of the life. It led to him becoming a monk. In the interview, Swami spoke about his transition from a Basketball player to a bank manager and to become a monk, which has inspired a lot of individuals.

Saraswati spoke about the changes he had to bring into his life in different phases. He claimed discipline was a necessity in all phases of his life. Satyananda said that Basketball needed one to be at their best which required discipline. He added that a monk needed a higher level of discipline. Swami concluded by saying that the most demanding aspect of his life was being a banker.