Akhilesha (Pravin) Anna

In Loving Memory of Akhilesha Anna
(Pravin Atmakur) 
A BEACON OF GRACE AND LIGHT
Words can barely capture the profound gratitude and deep sorrow felt as we honor the memory of Akhilesha Anna. He was far more than an instructor; he was a pure instrument of grace, a steady anchor, and a guiding presence who illuminated the path for so many seekers across the globe. 
THE SACRED GIFT OF INITIATION 
Akhilesha Anna played a pivotal, irreplaceable role in my spiritual evolution through the Isha Foundation programs. Having the sacred privilege of sitting right next to him during my Inner Engineering initiation in Berlin remains one of the most transcendent and life-changing moments of my life. In his serene presence, stillness felt effortless, and the possibility of human transformation became real and accessible. 
(Image: Inner Engineering Berlin, January 2017) 
MOMENTS OF GRACE ACROSS SPACE AND TIME 
The joy of meeting him again in February 2017 at the Isha Yoga Center—during the consecration of the Yogeshwara Linga and the unveiling of Adiyogi on MahaShivaratri—remains deeply etched in memory. When asked to sign the newly released Adiyogi book, his humble refusal, insisting that honor belonged only to Sadhguru, showcased his absolute devotion. 
Our paths crossed again during my first Samyama at the Isha Yoga Center, and once more in Kathmandu in August 2024 at the start of my Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. Each encounter was a quiet testament to his steady support and unwavering dedication to every seeker's journey. 
AN ETERNAL PRESENCE 
Though his physical form is no longer with us, Akhilesha Anna is forever alive in my heart and thoughts. The spiritual energy he imparted, his profound humility, and the stillness he embodied remain woven into the very fabric of daily sadhana. 
PRANAM, DEAREST AKHILESHA ANNA
Thank you for your selfless service, your grace, and for holding the doorway open for so many of us to experience the divine within. You are missed beyond measure, but your light continues to guide the way.

I feel truly fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from such a wonderful faculty member who gave me the Shunya initiation. His classes were conducted with remarkable punctuality and discipline, and he explained every concept with exceptional clarity. He also shared many deep and meaningful experiences from his connection with Sadhguru, which gave us a much better understanding of the journey.

What really stood out was his youthful energy. The glow on his face hardly seemed to correspond with his age. At the same time, he was extremely sincere, disciplined, and committed to everything he did.

There was also a beautiful, lighter side to him. On one occasion, he organized games for everyone. While playing and interacting with us, he became just like a child, freely mixing with everyone, bringing out everyone’s energy, and making each person feel comfortable. He built such a warm bond with all of us that he felt more like a family member than a faculty member.

He gave us an incredible amount of valuable knowledge and helped us truly understand the importance of Sadhguru in our lives.

He is genuinely a great person, and I feel very blessed and fortunate to have learned from him.

May shiva give him a peaceful after life and enlightenment 🙏🏻

I have been trying to find words for Akhilesh Anna, and I keep coming back to the same realisation: it is not really the words I remember. It is the experience of him.

That enormous, infectious smile. His seemingly endless energy. His mischief and laughter. His ever-readiness to dance — and to get everyone around him dancing too. And beneath all that exuberance, a deep attentiveness and care for the people around him.

Akhilesh Anna led our group on our Kailash–Mansarovar sojourn last year, and when I think of him now, so many little moments come flooding back.

Before we left Kathmandu, he took us through a Shakti Chalana Kriya refresher session. While sharing his own experience, he mentioned that years earlier he had failed his MRCPsych exams while suffering terribly with kidney stones.

Later, over brunch, I asked him, “Akhilesh Anna, are you sure you failed because of the kidney stones, or are you using them as an excuse for not being well prepared for the exam?”

He burst out laughing and accused me of calling him a liar. That was when I told him I was a psychiatrist too and knew exactly how tough those exams were.

And so began the banter.

On our first night in Saga, I had stayed behind helping the medical team while everyone else had left for our hotel a few hours earlier. It was past midnight when the volunteers' meeting finished and Akhilesh Anna and our team doctor walked with me to the hotel.

“See, they all left you,” he said.

“No one loves me,” I replied.

“I know!”

And we laughed.

Lightness seemed to follow him.

There was dancing too — always dancing. Akhilesh Anna seemed ready to dance at the slightest opportunity, and equally determined that everyone else should join him. His joy had a way of spilling over onto the people around him.

Even his concern for people often came wrapped in that same exuberance.

When he saw me after our trek to Kailash, one of the first things he wanted to know — with great excitement — was my oxygen saturation. Then came instructions to get some hot water so that he could add his mysterious “magic drops” to help clear my airways.

Later, seeing him surrounded by people waiting for those drops, I remarked that with the way he was dressed, he could be mistaken for a dealer.

He immediately accused me of calling him a dealer.

I insisted there was an important distinction. 😄

These were such ordinary moments at the time. They feel anything but ordinary now.

And yet, for all the laughter and mischief I associate with him, the memory I hold most tenderly is a quiet one.

At the end of our sojourn, my mum was overwhelmed by everything she had experienced. Akhilesh Anna took her into his arms and held her in the tightest embrace — with the tenderness with which he might have held his own mother.

I remember thanking him for taking such good care of her.

I am deeply grateful now that I did.

There are many more memories, but perhaps they don't all need to be told.

Because what remains most strongly is the experience of him.

That huge smile. The laughter. The mischief. The dancing. The boundless energy. And the unmistakable warmth and care.

When I think of our Kailash–Mansarovar sojourn, Akhilesh Anna is woven into it. I cannot separate that journey from the joy and countless little moments he brought to it.

There is something deeply poignant about remembering someone who was so intensely full of life, knowing that he is no longer physically here.

I feel immensely fortunate that our paths crossed — that I got to journey with him, laugh with him, tease him and be teased by him, and witness the way he cared for my mother and so many others.

Thank you, Akhilesh Anna, for being such a joyful part of one of the most profound journeys of my life.

It is impossible to remember you without seeing that enormous smile. 🙏

Akilesh Anna 🙏
For me, he was my Shoonya teacher, and his involvement with Isha and the lives he has touched makes this uncertainty especially difficult.
He was an empathetic teacher. There was something very profound about the way he transmitted the learning during Shoonya and learning Sakthi Chalana Kriya. So much of what he said still stays with me.
Not knowing where he is feels unlike any grief I have known before.
It doesn't feel like heaviness.
It feels like a part of my own existence has gone silent.
My heart goes out to everyone who was at the immigration office and is still missing, and to every family waiting for news.
Holding them all in my thoughts and prayers. 🙏🏼

A great loss indeed to the Chimes fraternity.

A great soul in the service of
Humanity through Sadguru’s
ideology.

I pray God for Sadgathi to his noble soul at the feet of
Lord Siva 🙏🙏🙏

The world has lost a gem of a human being. I’ve known and worked with Akhilesha for the last 20 years. Never seen him other than radiant with joy, loving, caring for everyone and everything. You could see his smile beaming from a mile away. Anyone who had any time with him would come back saying how amazing he is, whether in the Shoonya programs he offered or the Kailash groups he guided and nurtured. For a few years he even did 2 Yatras one after the other! His strength, his joy, his beautiful and gentle presence will be missed sorely and deeply. I still cannot comprehend that he was taken from us so soon. 🙏🏼😭😔😔😔

Your Contribution is important for well-being of peoples.Thank You Anna🙏🏻

Dear Pravin Anna,

I remember you from my Shaktichalan kriya class during Shoonya. Was very impressed hearing your story on how you chose this path. You have been an inspiration for many of us for the selfless work. I am sure you are at a better and brighter place right now. Lots of love and Peace. Shambho 🙏

A wonderful human being, always smiling, and a truly great teacher. We will deeply miss you, Akhilesh Anna. 🙏

What a joyful being he was! Always smiling and full of energy. You will stay alive in our hearts forever.

I remember his clear instructions during Sakthi chalan practice session and also how joyful he was even with lot of pressure going on during Maha Shivaratri ticket bookings for the and also I have a clipping in which he actually says bye. I have a small but perform memories of him, Namaskaram.

Pravin anna🙏
Loss is always painful for those left behind. The world will miss the fragrance of your joyful, exuberant and intense life. And yet you will live on in the beautiful memories that have been left behind. It was a brief and blessed life...Shambho!!

In the eyes of a volunteer, there is only love and the longing to serve. You lived with a heart wide open, dedicating your time, energy, and love to making the world a more conscious place. We bow in deep gratitude for your incredible service and your beautiful, exuberant life. May the grace of the Guru guide your path onward into ultimate liberation.
Shambho 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Even though I have never seen or met you, this still feels like a personal loss. May your onward journey be as pleasant as you were.

Shambho 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Praveen Anna - I've never met you. But the impact you created on me by that smiling picture & dancing video - inexplicable. The loss felt,deep in heart, as if you're my brother. The same frozen feeling when you hear a bad news. The fact that life is to be Lived and this journey should begin from the existential reality of "Death" first. I saw life in you.

Seeing Sadhguru cry out with your son & your son consoling Him - is like how a grandson would console a grand Dad. Wherever you are Anna, whatever you might have thought/ done in "that last moment" - one thing is sure -Sadhguru will take care of you. He took care when you were in physical form, He will even now, when you're beyond.

Shambho.

Akhilesha Anna,
What a joy it was to be with you and to be guided by you. Our trip lasted only a little over two weeks, but the bond we formed feels truly special and will always remain close to my heart. You have been such an inspiration, and I know the warmth and joy of this journey will stay with me for a long time.

*Namaskar Akhilesha Anna (Praveen Anna) 🙏🙏🙏*

I am remembering you in so many ways.

I remember the day we took this photo we were all so happy, having fun, taking photos of each other. My photos were taken by you, Akhilesha Anna, and your DP was taken by Ayush Anna. I was the witness of your WhatsApp DP, and I still remember it so clearly.

I loved the way you took care of our entire group. You were always so joyful, yet so focused and responsible.

I loved the way you carried your Bluetooth speaker and your magic medical drops, and whenever we needed any Sadhguru song, you were always ready to play it on your Bluetooth.

You dance so freely I could see your soul through your dance so kind, soft, and innocent. You spread a different kind of joy and made the whole trip so memorable.

I remember you sharing with us how you and your son’s names were given by Sadhguru, and your son is studying at Cambridge University. And I exactly remember you saying that you do the Kailash trip every year.

It has been a year since I last saw you, but your presence is still with me.

We are all praying for you, Anna. Wherever you are, I hope you are safe. We are waiting for you to return safely with that same beautiful smile.

We are missing you so much. Please come back safely.

🙏 *Om Namah Shivaya* 🙏

Dear Anna,
Even though I didn’t get a chance to interact with you much, I remember your bright smile & fully present nature. And today, I heard your son asking Sadhguru a question. I can clearly see your fire in him.

Akhilesha Anna

I have so many beautiful memories with you. You felt like an elder brother, father and a 2nd Sadhguru to me.

I started to copy you as you whistled to bring the group back together on Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. My whistle did not come through. You looked at me in mocking frustration and said in your Telugu accent - Tumse nahi hoga, chhodo..

You started to distribute Chinese spicy oily pickle to the group during lunch time at the Manasarovar lake. I mocked you with - chilly oil. And you gave me those looks.. I will never forget.

I did not like wearing shoes and loved to step bare feet in the waters, the floor and the stones during our journey from Kathmandu to Nyalam. You told me 2 times very calmly. Then you again saw me barefeet in Saga where it was cold. You gave me a long lecture on how you get scolded by Paulina Akka for letting me walk bare feet. That is when I changed and got the point. I did not want you to go through scoldings for me.

You told in the Shaktichalana Kriya refresher class how precision in yoga is so important. I try to do that.

I asked so many questions, mostly dumb ones throughout the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra 2025, especially in the beginning. You smiled before you answered, putting me at ease first. I was so nervous about the dangerous journey. Seeing your confident smile, I relaxed.

Anna, I promise to support others and the good that is happening in the world, just like you did. You joyfully took on responsibility for others, in such a beautiful manner, words cannot express.

On my way back from Kailash, I asked Anna, how do you know what to do with life, he said we come with limited time choose wisely your priorities. He made me feel I know the best answer to my questions.

🙏

In one journey, you changed my life 🙏. Your last message to me will forever remain an inspiration.

"Keep the 🔥 of Sadhana going strong."