Biography of pioneering Saudi yoga expert is coming

New Delhi: An authorised biography of Nouf Marwaai, the first certified Yogacharini in Saudi Arabia, written by well-known film historian and writer Gautam Chintamani, has been acquired by Westland publications.

The announcement was made by the publisher on Tuesday, which said that the book is tentatively titled, "Nouf: Yogi Who Made Saudi Arabia Fall in Love with an Ancient Indian Science".

Nouf Marwaai was instrumental in making Yoga legal and get official recognition for it in Saudi Arabia. She was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour, by the Indian government in 2018.

The book will cover her life, her battles with autoimmune diseases, third-degree burns and cancer, and narrate how yoga helped her survive them, the publisher said.

Marwaai conducted the first ever International Day of Yoga in 2015 in Saudi Arabia; her journey of discovering both physical and inner well-being through yoga is a motivation for others to look for alternative methods of therapy.

Chintamani has previously authored 'Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna' (2014), 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak: The Film That Revived Hindi Cinema' (2016) and 'Pink - The inside Story' (2017).

He is also on the National Film Awards jury for Best Writing on Cinema since 2016.