From the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru and the Great Wall in China to Rama Bai Ambedkar Maidan in lucknow and london Eye, the sound of “Om” reverberated through India and the world on the Third International Yoga Day on Wednesday in celebration of the traditional fitness regime that combines spirituality and physicality.
In lucknow, braving morning showers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led 51,000 participants in performing yoga. The Prime Minister did not think twice before coming out of the waterproof dais to join the participants and schoolchildren as rain lashed Rama Bai Ambedkar grounds.
Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma followed suit.
Dressed in a white t-shirt and a white track pants, Modi took the role of an expert yoga teacher and corrected postures of several participants. “It was a nice gesture by the PM to come out of the comfort of his waterproof tent and do yoga with us in the open. It was not easy. Yoga mats were wet and slippery and water puddles were all around,” said 18-year-old student Neha Prakash.
Rain was expected as the Meteorological department had earlier predicted about 22 mm rain. It started raining around 4 am on Wednesday.
Yoga instructor with “Art of living” Renuka Sharma said that since the Met office had predicted rain, they were mentally prepared (for rain). “I had come with an umbrella but it was of no use. It was the first rain of the season and doing yoga amid shower was a new experience,” she said.
Unmindful of rain, the PM continued with his “asanas” and completed his regimen in 20 minutes, while the CM and the Governor were still grappling with their “asanas” and drenched clothes.
During his brief speech, Modi spoke about the importance of yoga and how the entire world had accepted this Indian tradition, which has a scientific backing.
“Yoga is about health assurance and yoga gives you health insurance at zero cost. It is not even expensive to practise yoga. I urge everyone to make yoga part of their lives as it is the gateway to wellness,” the PM said. Enthused over such a large participation of people in inclement weather, he joked that lucknow has shown the world how a yoga mat could be used differently during rain. He was referring to people using the mats as shield to protect themselves from rain.
The PM said yoga has created job opportunity for the youth. “I am glad to see several yoga institutes coming up in the last three years because the demand of trained yoga teachers has increased. This demand is creating new jobs. As a pinch of salt is important ingredient of food, similarly yoga is important as it keeps the body fit and mind alert,” said he.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “Yoga is an ‘art of living’ and it should be adopted by every individual. I welcome the PM for taking this Indian art to the global platform. In UP, yoga is being performed with great enthusiasm. The rain cannot deter these people.”
This was the third International Yoga Day. “This is the biggest yoga show. Over 50,000 people, including children, took part in Yoga at one place. It has been raining since morning, but there is no let down in the enthusiasm of volunteers.
This event will surely create a new record,” District Magistrate of lucknow, Kaushal Raj Sharma said.
In Delhi, nearly 77,700 people braved pre-dawn showers and gathered at venues across the city. According to AYUSH Ministry officials, the maximum gathering of 50,000 people was at Red Fort lawns, followed by 10,000 yoga enthusiasts coming together in Connaught Place and about 9,000 at a DDA park in Rohini.
Union ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Vijay Goel, Delhi lt Governor Anil Baijal and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with BJP’s presidential Ram Nath Kovind and senior BJP leader Meenakshi lekhi joined yoga session in Connaught Place. Several Central Government ministries also hosted events on their office premises for their employees.
While similar scenes were seen in other parts of the country too, many gathered in places across the world, including iconic landmarks like the london Eye and Trafalgar Square as well the Great Wall, to celebrate the day. In the US, a large number of people, including from the Indian community, participated in special yoga sessions organised by the Indian Consulate in New York. Over 1,200 yoga enthusiasts in South Africa’s Soweto township also got their first taste of yoga.
Politicians, bureaucrats, students, judges and simply yoga enthusiasts gathered at offices, parks and even the road at specially held yoga camps to observe the day.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj joined a yoga session organised by her Ministry with nearly 100 diplomats from various missions. Stressing that yoga belongs not merely to India, she said, “Excellencies, yoga is not merely about physical well-being through asanas or postures or pranayam or breath control. It is a science to attain inner peace, it is the art to attain equanimity.”
At the UN headquarters in New York, people from all walks of life congregated at the North lawns to participate in the ‘Yoga Session with Yoga Masters’. The UN issued special stamps to commemorate the day.