Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that Yoga is acting like an Ambassador of India which is attracting the whole world towards Yoga and the country’s old age culture.
“As a result of the efforts made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yoga got recognition at international level and today it is being performed simultaneously in about 200 countries,” Shah said while speaking as a chief guest at the state level function of 5th International Yoga Day celebrations at Mela Ground in Rohtak.
On the occasion, Shah lauded Chief Minister Manohar Lal for the setting up of Yog Parishad aimed at the promotion of Yoga in the state. Earlier, Shah and Manohar Lal performed Yoga along with the people present at the venue.
Highlighting the importance of Yoga in day to day life, Shah said that Yoga is a practice which not only ensures physical and mental development of an individual but also provides enough strength to perform work with ease.
He said that foreign invaders rule the country for long and since then Yoga was meant to be practiced only by saints and gurus. Though several progammes were organized from time to time in the country for the promotion of Yoga, it got recognition at international level in the year 2014, when Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of country with the massive support of people, the Union Minister said.
Shah said that during his speech in UN General Assembly, Prime Minister not only acquaint the world with the glory (Yoga) of India but also presented a proposal in the Assembly offering to share country’s practice and knowledge of Yoga to the entire world.
He also made an appeal that International Yoga Day be organized so that Yoga reaches to every individual. It was the result of the persistent efforts made by Modi that 177 countries accepted the proposal and UN declared June 21 as International Yoga Day only in a period of 70 days, Shah added.
The Union Minister, without naming anyone said that those who are in habit of finding faults said that what could be achieved by doing Yoga in a single day.
He said that I would like to tell them that today crores of people are performing Yoga in about 200 countries and children are taking inspiration from them to adopt Yoga in their lives.
In the western countries, whenever they make any new invention, they do patent or copyright. But we in India do not need any patent or copyright for Yoga as we wanted to popularize it worldwide, he added.
He also expressed his gratitude to the saints and gurus for promoting Yoga and also to those who are bringing perfection in it through scientific means.
He added that people like Baba Ram Dev and Ravi Shankar are making significant efforts in this direction.
Earlier, speaking on this occasion, Chief Minister Manohar Lal described Yoga as an ancient practice and said that the present State Government has taken several steps for the promotion of Yoga in the state.
He said that a day before, the State Government has constituted Yog Parishad so that the people of all walks of life adopt Yoga in their life and ensure their physical, mental and spiritual development.
A decision had also been taken to construct Yog or Vyamshalas in villages of the State. In the same series, as many as 1000 Yog or Vyamshalas have so far been constructed. Apart from this, recruitment of Yoga trainers is also being made in the state, he said.
Manohar Lal further said that International Yoga Day functions have been organized simultaneously at 80 places in the state in which about 5 lakh people participated.
Among those present on the occasion included Rohtak MP Arvind Sharma, MP Rajya Sabha and BJP national general secretary Anil Jain, Health Minister Anil Vij, BJP state president Subhash Barala, Minister of State for Cooperation Manish Grover, Chief Secretary DS Dhesi and other senior officers of the district administration.
Meanwhile, Haryana Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya participated in a function organized on International Yoga Day at Haryana Raj Bhavan here.
He said, “Yoga should be included in our daily routine only then we and our country will be healthy. Yoga is the art of living life, which leads to both mental and physical wellbeing”.