PIO's family working to bring his remains back to US

New York, Jan 5: The family of a 25-year-old Indian- American yoga instructor, who was found dead in central Mexico during a hike in the rugged mountains, is working on legalities to bring his remains back to Virginia, where a memorial service will be held in his memory.

Hari Simran Singh Khalsa had gone missing on December 30 while hiking in the mountains of Tepoztlan in Mexico. The search for Khalsa ended tragically on January 2, when his body was found in one of the small ravines that criss-crossed the mountains of Tepoztlan.

Khalsa had fallen while hiking, sustaining multiple fractures to his skull and dying instantly. Tepoztlan, a popular tourist destination near Mexico City, is known for its mountain peaks and the towering cliffs.

His family is now dealing with the legal aspect of bringing his remains back to Virginia to be cremated, according to information on the website 'findharisimran.com' that was set up after the young yoga instructor went missing.

The memorial service would be held at a Gurdwara in Sterling, Virginia and Khalsa's family plans to create a foundation in his honour, "dedicated to his spirit of service and inspiration."

Vigils were held last week in cities in Virginia, New York, California and New Mexico as well as among communities in Europe, Latin America and China. A remembrance from members of the Occupy Wall Street movement was held over the weekend.

Khalsa was influential in establishing and leading the 'Occupy Yoga NY' movement, which brought meditation and yoga into the heart of the protests against social and economic inequality.

Khalsa was a member of the Sikh-American community who originally hailed from Brooklyn and had been running a Yoga center in Virginia along with his wife.

He was a long-time practitioner of the Kundalini yoga and had taught the yoga form and meditation to activists during the Occupy Wall Street campaign in 2011. He is survived by his wife and parents.

PTI