Latest news with #Masetti
News18
3 days ago
- Business
- News18
Who Is Jonas Masetti? Brazilian Going Viral After Being Awarded Padma Shri
Last Updated: Jonas Masetti said the honour of receiving India's fourth-highest civilian award came as a surprise. Brazilian spiritual teacher Jonas Masetti has been conferred the prestigious Padma Shri award for his contribution to spreading Vedic knowledge and Vedanta philosophy across the globe. Masetti, once a mechanical engineer working with top firms in Brazil's stock market, said the honour of receiving India's fourth-highest civilian award came as a surprise. 'I was not expecting this. It's a great honour… not just for me, but for our family striving for this tradition," he told news agency ANI. He is now going viral. Bare feet, Rudraksha Maala & cotton dhoti – meet Jonas Mazetty a Mechanical Engineer from Brazil He is so influenced by Indian spirituality that he is spreading the knowledge of Vedanta and Bhagavad Gita in the world He was Awarded Padma Shri — Sameer (@BesuraTaansane) May 28, 2025 President Droupadi Murmu presented the Padma Awards during the second Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Tuesday, honouring individuals across diverse fields. Who is Jonas Masetti? Jonas Masetti, also known as Acharya Vishwanath, was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He began his career as a mechanical engineer working with top firms in the stock market. Despite having what he described as everything a Western lifestyle offers, money, friends, and social success, he felt deeply unfulfilled and began questioning the true meaning of life. This inner quest led him to India, where he found answers at an ashram in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Under the guidance of spiritual master Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Masetti immersed himself in Vedanta philosophy. He later earned the title of Acharya and changed his name to Vishwanath. On returning to Brazil, he founded Vishva Vidya Gurukulam in the hills of Petropolis, near Rio de Janeiro. The institute offers free online courses, combining traditional Vedic wisdom with modern tools. Within seven years, he has reached over 1.5 lakh students globally. In 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged him in a Mann Ki Baat address, calling him a cultural ambassador of India. Masetti has also published several books on Yoga and Vedanta in both Portuguese and English. First Published:
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Who is Jonas Masetti, Brazilian Vedic teacher walked barefoot to receive Padma Shri
A Brazilian acharya, Jonas Masetti, who founded the Vishva Vidya Gurukulam in the country, was conferred the Padma Shri award by President Droupadi Murmu. The Vedic guru accepted the honour, wearing a white dhoti, tilak, and barefoot. "I was not expecting this. It's a great honour... Many people in Brazil are studying Vedanta, and this is an honour not just for me but also for our family, who are striving for this tradition," he told the news agency ANI. The guru, also known as Acharya Vishvanath, met the Prime Minister in Brazil last year after he attended the G20 Summit and witnessed his group present glimpses of the Ramayan in Sanskrit. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Masetti said that he worked as a mechanical engineer with top companies in Brazil but left"empty" and sought to understand the 'meaning of life', he told ANI. His search led him to learn about Vedic culture, and he travelled to Swami Dayananda's ashram in Tamil Nadu. After spending time there, he said he decided to return home and spread the message of the Vedas in Brazil. "There are so many teachers in India that a Westerner doesn't need to come here and teach their own culture. I see a lot of youngsters losing the opportunity to value their culture and being so enchanted by the Western way of thinking", he said. Now, he runs an institute called 'Vishwavidya' in Brazil where he uses technology to propagate his message through regular online programmes. PM Modi had earlier revealed that, through his 'Free Open Course,' Masetti taught Vedic values to more than 1.5 lakh students in seven years. President Droupadi Murmu conferred Padma Awards at Rashtrapati Bhawan, with PM Modi and other dignitaries in attendance. Justice (Retd.) J.S. Khehar received the Padma Vibhushan for Public Affairs. Posthumous Padma Vibhushan awards went to folk singer Sharda Sinha and dancer Kumudini Lakhia. Padma Bhushan recipients included Dr. Shobana Chandrakumar (folk dance), Sadhvi Ritambhara (social work), and economist Bibek Debroy (Literature & Education), whose family members accepted on their behalf.
News18
4 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Two Engineers, Two Paths: One Received Padma Shri, The Other Became 'IIT Baba'
Last Updated: Jonas Masetti's evolution reflects a structured path rooted in rigorous study and humility while Abhay Singh's digital-first strategy seems spontaneous and unstructured. In an age where education and spirituality increasingly intertwine with digital culture, two engineers set out on spiritual paths shaped by old traditions. Yet, their journeys, while starting from similar foundations, led them to dramatically different ends. While one was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri, the other became a social media fame. Jonas Masetti from Brazil, now revered as Vedantacharya Vishwanath, was once a mechanical engineer trained at the Military Institute of Engineering in Rio de Janeiro and a former strategist in the stock market. Masetti's early life seemed to promise financial and professional success. But in 2003, drawn by a gnawing sense of spiritual emptiness, he turned toward Vedanta, an ancient philosophy rooted in introspection and inner discipline. Under the guidance of Gloria Arieira and later Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Masetti immersed himself in the guru-shishya tradition, spending four years at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Coimbatore. What began as personal transformation soon became a mission. In 2014, Masetti returned to Brazil and founded the Vishwa Vidya Gurukulam in Petropolis, where he began teaching the Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta, Sanskrit, and spiritual practices to an ever-growing audience. Today, more than 1,50,000 students have been part of his vision. In 2025, he was awarded with the Padma Shri for his contributions to globalising Indian knowledge systems. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in one of his Mann Ki Baat addresses, highlighted Masetti as a living testament to the transformative power of Indian culture. Clad in cotton attire, rudraksha beads, and bare feet – and profound in thought – Masetti exudes humility and conviction when he says, 'Vedanta is not a religion; it's an art of living." Clad in saffron robes with a smartphone in hand, Singh was seen making social media reels at the Kumbh Mela, posing for selfies, and offering knowledge with flair more suited to influencers than saints. His style made him a darling of meme pages and reels, especially among the youth. But with that fame came mockery – his sincerity often dismissed, his attire and the moniker 'IIT Baba' drawing more ridicule than reverence. What separates Singh's journey from Masetti's is perception – the way society gauges depth, presentation, and commitment. This juxtaposition raises a deeper question: What defines true spiritual recognition in today's world? Is it the depth of one's practice, or the way it's presented? Jonas Masetti's evolution reflects a structured path rooted in rigorous study and humility. His approach channels the ancient Vedic traditions through modern means, resonating deeply with both Eastern and Western audiences. In contrast, Abhay Singh's digital-first strategy seems spontaneous and unstructured, often blurring the line between spirituality and performance art. In the end, both figures symbolise different facets of India's cultural outreach. Masetti, the Brazilian Vedantin, reminds the world of the timeless relevance of wisdom. Singh, the viral 'baba', reflects a generation caught between authenticity and attention.
