Srinagar: The eighth edition of the annual International Day of Yoga (IDY) was observed in Kashmir today despite inclement weather. The main programme was held at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) Srinagar.
The celebration at SKICC was led by Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Kapil Moreshwar Patil in presence of Lt. Governor Union Territory (UT) of J&K Manoj Sinha.
The theme for this year’s IDY was “Yoga for Humanity”.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Patil, extended his warm greetings to all the participants and appealed everyone to adopt Yoga and practice Yoga exercises on regular basis for mental, emotional and physical health and well-being. He expressed pleasure that a large number of local Yoga enthusiasts assembled despite rains at the SKICC situated on the banks of world-famous and scenic Dal Lake in the historical city of Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley – famously known as the heaven on the earth.
Highlighting the significance of Yoga, the Union MoS said, “Yoga represents the noble and ancient knowledge of health science and it generates physical as well as spiritual energy in a person and helps in removing diseases from the body”.
Addressing the gathering, Manoj Sinha said that Yoga teaches us to get rid of the chaos of the past and the future and live in the present. This, he said, helps us to live with harmony and peace and brings about a major change in our outlook towards life and the way we live it.
Chief Secretary, Arun Kumar Mehta said on the occasion that during the unprecedented trials of the second wave of the Covid pandemic, doctors, researchers and other frontline workers of the western world realised and stressed upon the importance and relevance of Yoga for fighting diseases and living a healthy life. He said that Harvard University came out with an advisory asking people to practise Yoga to save themselves from the deadly disease.
The gathering also listened to the live address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who led this year’s IDY celebrations from Mysuru. The Prime Minister said that the practise of Yoga was restricted to a few households till some years back but it has now turned into a global movement and people from all corners of the world can be seen practising Yoga. He thanked the United Nations and other countries of the world on behalf of India and its citizens for accepting Yoga as a means of healthy living. He added that Yoga brings peace not only to the individual but also to the society, the nation, the world and also to the universe as a whole.
A demonstration of Common Yoga Protocol was also held on the occasion. All the participants, who numbered around one thousand, took active part in the 45-minute demonstration and made the event a grand success. The session was conducted by Yoga expert Dr Ruhi Tabassum.
Other dignitaries who were present on the occasion included Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to LG UT of J&K, Smt Mandeep Kaur, Secretary Rural Development and Panchayati Raj UT of J&K and Shri BK Behara, Economic Adviser MoPR.
—PIB

KR Desk