‘Will serve yoga community in Kuwait, GCC’: Padma Shri awardee Ali Jaber Al-Sabah

NEW DELHI: Padma Shri awardee Ali Jaber Al-Sabah said that she was thankful to the Indian government for recognising her work in the yoga community.

Sabah said that she loved India and had visited the country often. “I’m honoured to be here in Delhi to receive the Padma Shri Award. I was very surprised and very honoured because I feel like all the work that I’ve done to serve the yoga community, especially in Kuwait and the GCC was recognised, so I’m very grateful for that and thankful,” she said.

#WATCH | Delhi: A pioneer in Yoga education, Sheikha Shaikha Ali Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait received Padma Shri award today.

She says, “…I am honoured to be here in Delhi to receive Padma Shri award…I was very surprised and very honoured…So, I am very grateful…I would… pic.twitter.com/pvxjoaEQHW

— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2025

Sabah said after receiving the award that she would want to serve the yoga community and the GCC even more. “I would like to thank the government of India and I love India and I come here often. So for me it feels like home. I’m very happy. I’m very grateful. We will serve the yoga community in Kuwait and the GCC even more, hopefully with far reaching effects”, she said.

Reminiscing about her initial days in the field, she said that she learnt yoga from her grandfather and father. She started practicing it after she gave birth.

“I learned about yoga from my late grandfather. He used to be a yoga practitioner and into alternative therapies, and my father as well, it was always in the periphery. However, once I gave birth to my firstborn, I was introduced to yoga, and I felt that the health benefits for my body and my mind were immense, and it’s just a lifelong learning experience. You never stop. You’re always a student of yoga,” she said.

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday presented the prestigious Padma Shri award in the field of Yoga to Ali Jaber Al-Sabah. Sabah is the founder of Daratma for Yoga Education, Kuwait’s first officially licensed yoga studio.

President Droupadi Murmu presents Padma Shri in the field of Yoga to H.E. Shka. Shaikha Ali Jaber Al-Sabah. She is a keen yoga practitioner. She is the founder of Daratma for Yoga Education, Kuwait’s first officially licensed yoga studio. She has been working for bridging… pic.twitter.com/y4H6WVAZQ0

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) April 28, 2025

In a post on X, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said, “President Droupadi Murmu presents Padma Shri in the field of Yoga to H.E. Shka. Shaikha Ali Jaber Al-Sabah. She is a keen yoga practitioner. She is the founder of Daratma for Yoga Education, Kuwait’s first officially licensed yoga studio. She has been working for bridging cultural gaps and bringing people together through her charitable activities”. (ANI)