The stage is set for the fourth International Day of Yoga on Thursday at the sprawling and picturesque lawns of Dehradun’s Forest Research of India (FRI) where over 50,000 yoga enthusiasts will join Prime Minister Narendra Modi in performing asanas. Modi arrived in Dehradun on Wednesday night. He is likely to stay at FRI from 6.45 am to 7.45 am, performing yoga and addressing people.
Special security arrangements have been made with over 3,000 security personnel, including commandos and sharpshooters, being deployed at the institute, which is surrounded by dense forests.
Those who will join the Prime Minister include Uttarakhand Governor Krishna Kant Paul, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, and Union Ayush Minister Shripad Naik. The Uttarakhand Chief Minister posted a blog earlier in the day to thank Modi for choosing Uttarakhand to host the event, saying it will establish the State’s identity as the land of yoga and give a boost to tourism which will generate fresh job opportunities.
For the first time, ISRO will use its satellite technology to provide real-time data on the participation of people doing yoga in the open across the country, said Ayush Secretary Rajesh Kotecha. The Ministry has also launched a yoga locator app to help the yoga volunteers locate the areas where yoga activities are happening, he added.
Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga director Basava Reddy said asanas will be performed as per the yoga protocol followed in the past three years.
A keen yoga practitioner himself, Modi had earlier participated in yoga celebrations at Rajpath in New Delhi in 2015, the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh in 2016, and Ramabai Ambedkar Sabha Sthal in lucknow in 2017. “Yoga is not just a set of exercises that keeps the body fit. It is a passport to health assurance, a key to fitness and wellness. Nor is yoga only what you practice in the morning. Doing your day-to-day activities with diligence and complete awareness is a form of yoga as well,” a statement quoting Modi said.
During the occasion, Prime Minister’s Awards for Outstanding Contribution for Promotion and Development of Yoga 2018 will be given to Vishwas Vasant Mandlik, Nasik, and The Yoga Institute, Mumbai. The winners will be felicitated with of a trophy, a certificate and a cash award of Rs 25 lakh each.
Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Suresh Prabhu, Uma Bharti, Ram Vilas Paswan, Ravi Shankar Prasad will be in lucknow, Nagpur, Chennai, Rudraprayag, Hajipur and Patna respectively for the yoga day functions, a BJP functionary said.