From sport stars to cine stars, political bigwigs to diplomats and members of armed forces to policemen, tens of thousands of people, both in India and abroad, joined the fourth International Day of Yoga on Thursday.
President Ram Nath Kovind performed yoga along with his Surinamese counterpart Desire Delano Boutersel while External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj joined the celebrations at the European Parliament.
President Kovind, who is in the Surinamese capital Paramaribo on the second leg of his three-nation tour, and Boutersel wearing round neck T-shirts joined dozens of yoga practitioners in this latin American country to perform the asanas.
“Extremely happy to have participated in #InternationalYogaDay celebrations - 14,000 kms away from India - at Paramaribo with President Bouterse of Suriname. I thank all the yogis who joined us and made this event truly memorable,” President Kovind told the gathering. This was the first time that heads of two countries together participated in the International Day of Yoga.
In Brussels, Sushma joined the yoga day celebrations at the Yehudi Menuhin Space in the European Parliament.
Indian and Chinese troops performed yoga together at Daulat Beg Oldie in East ladakh as part of confidence building measure on the line of Actual Control (lAC). The decision to perform yoga jointly was taken during the Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) between the two sides last month. The drill on Thursday on the Indian side in Daulat Beg Oldie saw at least 20 Chinese soldiers and officers performing asanas along with their Indian counterparts at a height of 16,942feet in sub-zero temperature. Incidentally, June 21 is the longest day of the year.
In New Delhi, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi performed prenatal yoga asanas along with pregnant women and advised them to practise the ancient Indian fitness regime under trained professionals. She was speaking at an event organised at the Natural Childbirth Centre.
Tennis ace Sania Mirza came under special praise from the Minister after the former posted a picture of herself doing an ‘asana’.
“International Day of Yoga or any other day, #PreNatalYoga is my way of keeping fit during pregnancy. What’s yoursIJ @MinistryWCD and @ManekaGandhiBJP (sic),” the tennis star posted on Twitter, along with the photo.
Maneka lauded Mirza for following the ancient Indian fitness regime during pregnancy. “Wonderful, Sania!! #PreNatalYoga is indeed an exhilarating way to be fit during pregnancy. @MirzaSania (sic),” the Union women and Child Development Minister tweeted.
The International Yoga Day was observed across Haryana and Punjab, with Union Minister Smriti Irani and Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar participating in programmes in Chandigarh and Jhajjar respectively.
In Ahmedabad, around 750 differently-abled people joined Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in doing exercises based on the ancient Indian discipline.
Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu advocated inclusion of yoga in school curriculums to “create a healthy nation”. Naidu participated in an event at Mumbai’s Bandra Reclamation Sealink Promenade where Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was present.
“The practice of yoga is important for positive thoughts. If it is included in the school curriculum it is possible to create a healthy nation. Yoga also helps in relief from stress due to the changing lifestyles,” Naidu said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, in Amravati, said everyone should practise yoga for a complete and healthy life free from stress.
The 4th International Yoga Day was celebrated in Sikkim with Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling leading hundreds of people in performing asanas. In West Bengal, Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said
Yoga had gone global with its origin rooted in Indian culture. In other States including Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Jharkhand, yoga events saw enthusiastic participation.
In Pakistan, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad celebrated the yoga day as a festival of health and well-being. Over 100 members of the diplomatic community and Pakistani citizens from different walks of life joined the guided yoga and meditation sessions at the mission. The yoga day celebrations were also held in different cities of Pakistan, including Karachi and lahore.
In Nepal, a special mass yoga demonstration was held on the premises of Nepal Police Training Academy in capital Kathmandu which was attended by hundreds of people despite rain since early morning.
Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ishwor Pokharel, along with Indian Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri and hundreds of yoga enthusiasts, performed yoga postures in an hour-long event.
A massive yoga session was held at the holy premises of Janaki temple in Janakpur where Governor Ratneshwar lal Kayastha and Chief Minister lalbabu Raut attended the event.
In China, Indian envoy Gautam Bambawale along with other diplomats, staff of the Embassy, yoga teachers and students of a yoga centre participated in a colourful yoga event in Beijing. Over 500 yoga lovers turned up to take part in over hour-long special yoga workout at the old Indian Embassy premises.
“I would say tens of thousands took part in China. But millions will be doing in their way either individually or in smaller groups,” Bambawale said.
The day is celebrated in 25 to 30 cities in different parts of China with larger turnouts, he said, adding that the popularity of yoga is going to increase not only in India but also in China.
In Bangladesh, around 10,000 people attended the ancient Indian discipline at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.
UN ambassadors, diplomats, spiritual leaders, members of civil society and children participated in a flagship Yoga Day event organised by India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.
Voicing her deep appreciation to India for organising the yoga day event, Mohammed underscored the importance of yoga in the overall well-being of individuals and even in various aspects of the world body’s functioning.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, who joined those gathered in performing yoga exercises and asanas, said yoga has become even more relevant as the world is recognising the critical importance of moving towards more sustainable lifestyles, in tune with surroundings and more in harmony with nature.