Lt. Col. Keyur Mehta

Founder of TriYoga Center, Gujarat, India

February 8, 1933-February 3, 2001

Born in the coastal town of Khambhat (pronounced "Cambay") on the west coast of India on February 8, 1933, Keyur Mehta's ambition in life had always been to be the best that he could be - physically, mentally and spiritually. As a boy, Keyur's idol was Mahatma Gandhi, who was later assassinated by a radical faction of Hindus when Keyur was 14. This event would have a profound effect on the young boy, inspiring him to do something significant and outstanding with his life.

Keyur spent his younger years in Vadodara (one of the major cities in the state of Gujarat) proud of his accomplishments as a boy scout. In 1949, he joined the National Cadet Corps as a volunteer and studied at the local university in Vadodara, earning a degree in chemistry in 1955.

But the military proved to be Keyur's calling, judged as the best volunteer cadet of the National Cadet Corps and joining the Indian Armed Forces in 1955. One of his most memorable experiences included fighting an insurgency in Nagaland, leading the world-famous Gorkha soldiers in 1965 and again in 1971 in the Indian/Pakistani war. "One of the most valuable lessons I learned from 24 years in the army," Keyur said, "was confidence and self-discipline. Learning to serve is its own objective." In 1979, Col. Mehta retired from the Indian Army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. People affectionately called him "the Colonel". As a civilian, Keyur joined the ranks of corporate management, earning a post-graduate degree in 1980 that was titled a Diploma in Industrial Management (DIM). With this credential, Keyur entered the industrial field as a senior executive, initially in the fields of human resources, personnel management and general administration. Subsequently, he worked in other areas, finally managing the entire operations of that particular industry. After 17 years, he retired from corporate life in 1994 in order to dedicate himself to the spiritual pursuit of yoga.

Although Keyur was always inclined towards spiritual development, his spiritual life blossomed at the age of 57 when he met Kaliji in 1990. After receiving his guru mantra during his second visit to the United States in 1995, he studied TriYoga with Kaliji and she gave her blessings for him to start a TriYoga Center in India. Through this inspiration, Keyur opened the TriYoga Center in Vadodara, Gujarat, India, on September 20, 1996. For nearly five years, Col. Mehta provided TriYoga programs for hundreds of students. Keyur was a true disciple and teacher of yoga. He devoted his life to teaching TriYoga, fueling his personal pursuit of higher consciousness.

His private life was deeply committed to his wife Sheila, daughter Seema, son Asim and their families.

On February 3, 2001 Col. Keyur Mehta died of a heart attack, although he had no history of heart problems. While playing golf, Col. Mehta peacefully left his body. He is deeply missed by his family, friends and students.

TriYoga continues to be taught in the TriYoga Centers in Gujarat, India.