Our Correspondents/
On the occasion of Yoga Day today, the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked people to make Yoga their integral part of life.
The President kicked off the 2nd International Yoga Day Celebrations at Rashtrapati Bhavan with around 1000 persons participating in a mass Yoga event.
Addressing participants, the President urged people to make the practice of Yoga an integral part of life. He said this will provide them mental and physical strength. It will enable them live a healthy life. It will create overall harmony between body and mind. It will enhance mental and physical well-being.
The other main event in India was held at the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Punjab and Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar participated the event among others.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to make Yoga a part of their life as it is linked to good health. Addressing International Yoga Day celebrations, Mr Modi said Yoga provides health assurance with zero spending. The Prime Minister also announced two awards for distinguished works in the field of Yoga at national and international levels. He said, yoga has become a people’s mass movement and people in all parts of the nation have been connected to Yoga.
He said, Yoga is not about what one will get, it is about what one can give up. Mr Modi said, the world supported the idea of International Day of Yoga and all sections of society came together in this endeavour. He asked people to make Yoga more popular globally and to produce good Yoga teachers. He said, Yoga will connect people to themselves which is vital in these times when everyone is so busy. The Prime Minister also asked to focus on how to mitigate diabetes through Yoga. He also announced two awards for popularising Yoga.
Over 30,000 people – 10,000 each from Union Territory of Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana took part in the mega event. For the first time, 150 Divyangs were assisted in performing Yogic Aasanas at the Capitol Complex.
The second International Day of Yoga is being celebrated across the globe today. The theme for this year is ‘Connect the Youth’.
In Delhi, the mega mass yoga was organised at Connaught Place in New Delhi which witnessed huge participation of people from all walks of life. They performed different postures of Yoga during 45 minutes of Yoga demonstration protocol. A group of Divyangs performed yogasanas on wheel chairs. Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, who participated, said Yoga is becoming popular across the globe as it increases energy and improves immunity.
Yoga programmes were also organised at six other locations of the city including Nehru Park, Lodhi Garden, Talkatora Garden and Japanese Park in Rohini. In Nehru Park, diplomats and officials took part in Yoga demonstration. Israeli ambassador Daniel Carmon said, yoga integrates people across the globe. He also thanked India for taking initiatives for organising such type of event. Vietnamese Ambassador Ton Sinh Thanh said, yoga is a very good exercise and every one should practice it.
In Uttar Pradesh, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh participated in Yoga session along with thousand others in Lucknow this morning. Thousands of Yoga camps are being organised at various districts in the state where Yoga lovers have gathered with much enthusiasm to learn and perform Yogasanas for betterment of their health and spirit.
It started raining heavily in Lucknow and in several other districts since early this morning which somewhat disrupted the programme of International Yoga Day. But even the heavy downpour could not deter the Yoga lovers to perform various Asana which they did under covered places instead of open space of KD Singh Babu Stadium of Lucknow. News is pouring in from all over the state of UP including Bijnore, Varanasi, Kanpur, Meerut, Agra and Allahabad among other places that people in lakhs of number are heartedly taking part in Yoga sessions.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the main functions were held at MA Stadium in Jammu and Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar. Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh participated in the event at Jammu. Jammu and Kashmir Ministers Bali Bhagat, Chandra Prakash Ganga, Jammu MP Jugul Kishor Sharma were present on the occasion.
In Himachal Pradesh the Yoga Day was celebrated with full enthusiasm. Several Yoga camps were organised throughout in the state. In the Palampur town BJP MP Shanta Kumar while in Dharamshala BJP MP Anurag Thakur took part in the yoga camps.
In Assam, International Yoga Day is being celebrated across the state with much enthusiasm. Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal performed yoga at Majuli in presence of Health minister and Chief Secretary. Mr Sonowal said that yoga helps in creating a good body and mind.
Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that state government will set up Yoga Vikash Kendra in each block of the state. Along with Yoga, seminars, various competitions and blood donation camps have been organized today. Various school students, government officials, police and para military personnel, senior citizens along with several ministers participated in the yoga day in the state.
In Goa, main programme was organised in Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium at Bambolim near Panaji which was attended by Chief Minister Lakshmikant Parsekar among others.
Yoga is the greatest gift the country has given the world, said Puducherry Lt. Guv Kiran Bedi. It is the greatest gift that we can give ourselves, she said. Ms. Bedi was speaking after participating in the mass Yoga programme in Puducherry. She thanked PM Modi for taking up the cause of Yoga. Yoga is that unites humanity and pave way for World Peace.
In Chennai, all prominent public places like the famous Marina Beach, Elliott’s Beach and parks witnessed mass scale yoga practices in view of the International Yoga Day. Union Minister Gen VK Singh inaugurated the yoga session at the Elliott’s Beach, Besant Nagar.
The southern area commanding officer of Indian Army Lt Gen Jagbir Singh led his troops to stage an impressive yoga session at the Defence Golf Course in the city. The Navy, the students of Madras Medical College, Stanley Medical College and many other educational institutions are also organizing yoga events and public awareness rallies.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governor ESL Narasimhan took part in a yoga programme specially held at Rajbhavan in Hyderabad. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya took part at a mass yoga demonstration programme held at Sanjeevaiah Park on the banks of the Hussain Sagar.
Several striking images of complex Yoga postures including Surya Namaskar, illuminated the UN Headquarters as the world body gears up to celebrate the International Yoga Day. India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in association with UN Department of Public Information will commemorate the day at the world body headquarters today.
India’s Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said that this year’s celebration lays special emphasis on enhancing awareness that Yoga is a holistic approach and not just a physical activity. UN General Assembly President Morgens Lykketoft, Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information Cristina Gallach and founder of Isha Foundation Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev will lead a simple Yoga practice at the UN Headquarters to mark the occasion.