Traqade
With the first International Day of Yoga drawing closer, India, along with the entire world, is all geared up for the occasion. Seminars and programs are already being conducted in full swing all over the country by yoga gurus and institutions, private and government alike. About 40,000 people are expected to be part of the grand celebrations at Rajpath, New Delhi on June 21 and nearly 2 billion people across 192 nations would have participated in commemorating the first International Yoga Day.
Declared by the UN on December 11, 2014, the notion was put forward by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, 2014 wherein he stated: “Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness within yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.” He further suggested June 21 as the ideal date for the observance as it is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It holds a special significance in many parts of the world and, in particular, from the perspective of yoga as it marks the transition of Dakshinayana which, according to yogic lore, is the day on which the first transmission of yoga was begun by Shiva, the first guru.
The initiative saw support from many global leaders and a record number of 177 countries co-sponsoring the UNGA resolution. Emphasizing that yoga does not discriminate, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said he discovered the “simple sense of satisfaction” it brings when he tried his first “asana” during his visit to India in January.
Following this, regular sessions and seminars are being held with accelerated momentum and popularity all over the country, be it in schools and colleges, corporate and government offices, fitness centers, parks and other communities. Not to forget, this is a world observance, but India, the whole world is watching. It’s back to the basics with this one, and why not? It’s always good to start at the very beginning.
