Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi , the eighth International Day of Yoga (IDY) will be held on June 21 this year at Mysuru in Karnataka. This year, as the nation celebrates Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to mark 75th year of Independence, the Union Ministry of Ayush has plans to observe IDY at 75 iconic sites also across the country.
This year, the IDY will be focused on Branding India on the global stage, said sources adding that Union Ayush Ministry has already started propagating the benefits of using WHO mYoga App, Namastey App, Y-break App, besides hosting photo contests, quiz contests, discussions on the MyGov platform.
The sources said that the Ministry has written to Chief Secretary of Karnataka P Ravikumar regarding the decision to hold the D-Day at Mysuru and directed him to ensure arrangements for successful organisation of the main event of IDY-2022. So far, the IDY has been held at Dehradun, Lucknow among others.
Various stakeholders, including prominent sports celebrities, foreign diplomats, and Yoga gurus will participate at the D-Day, the sources said.
The Centre has already launched the Yoga Mahotsav 2022-- a 100-day countdown for the 8th International Day of Yoga. The 100-day campaign is presently being organised in 100 cities and 100 organizations till June 21 across the globe.
For instance, a large yoga programme was held in Singapore on May 18, organized by Pragya Yoga and Wellness with Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, under Ayush Ministry. As a countdown programme, 75th countdown day and 50th countdown day were observed at the Red Fort, Delhi, and Sivadol, Assam.
Other programmes in the 100-day celebrations include yoga programmes, yoga demonstrations, workshops, seminars not only in India but across the globe.
Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ayush had recently pointed out that “the worldwide acceptance of Yoga is a matter of pride for our country, as yoga is an integral part of our cultural and spiritual heritage.”
IDY, at the initiative of PM Modi, the United Nations General Assembly took a historical decision in 2014 to declare June 21 as the International Day of Yoga. The ministry of Ayush is the nodal ministry for observation and is focused on a Mass Yoga demonstration based on Common Yoga Protocol (CYP).