Bengaluru: Former US President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle Obama and Tibetan Spiritual Leader Dalai Lama are scheduled to visit in December for the groundbreaking ceremony of the International Yoga and Meditation Centre, being constructed by the Bhutaayi Trust in Hallegere, Mandya District.

A delegation, led by the President of Bhutaayi Trust, along with American physicians Dr. Lakshmi Narasimha Murthy and Agriculture Minister (also Mandya District Minister) Chaluvarayaswamy, met with Chief Minister Siddharamaiah in Bengaluru yesterday to discuss the details of Obama’s visit. Hallegere, the location for the yoga centre in Mandya District, is the ancestral village of the Murthy family of physicians.

During the meeting, the delegation requested the CM to provide essential infrastructure, including a helipad, in Hallegere. In response, the CM assured them that an officer’s meeting would be held shortly. Members of the delegation expressed their belief that the International Yoga and Meditation Centre would not only benefit Hallegere and Mandya District but the entire State as well. They also highlighted the charitable work undertaken by the Trust. Present at the meeting were MLC Dinesh Gooligowda and MLAs Ravikumar Ganiga and Ramesh Babu Bandisidde Gowda.

Dr. Lakshmi Narasimha Murthy (L.N. Murthy), a native of Hallegere with 13 acres of inherited land there, is committed to the development of his hometown. He has initiated the establishment of the International Yoga and Meditation Centre, funded at approximately Rs. 80 crore by the Bhutaayi Trust.

Dr. L.N. Murthy is the father of Dr. Vivek Murthy, who serves as a medical advisor to the current US President Joe Biden and previously advised President Obama. The Mandya District administration is fully supporting the Trust’s efforts.

In a prior announcement, MLC Dinesh Gooligowda pledged a grant of Rs. 10 lakh from his Legislator’s regional development fund to the Trust. The construction cost of the International Yoga and Meditation Centre is estimated to be between Rs. 80 to Rs. 100 crore, and it will serve people of all communities.