WELL-BEING TRENDS THEME PERSONA
Déjà vu – YOGA DAY
By Neeraj Bajpai
It was only three years ago when India carved out a niche in annals of history on 21st June 2015 by holding the biggest ever open-air yoga camp with maximum number of international community members on the sprawling lawns of Rajpath on the first International Yoga Day( IYD), proclaimed on its initiative.
Now, taking lead from India following its expertise in the centuries old science, many nations mark the day with gusto, and many of them have imbibed the art in daily chorus amid anxiety ridden lives in the competitive world.
Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi says it should be matter of pride for any Indian that India proposed before UN the idea of the International Yoga Day and it was approved.
On the first event itself, the country had been awarded with two Guinness World Records in two different categories. Category 1 was for the largest number of participants in a
Yoga Lesson at a single venue. The earlier record was of 29,973. To beat that record a target of 30,000 was required. Yogis broke that record as 35,985 participants performed Yoga at Rajpath that morning.
Category 2 was most number of nationalists in a Yoga Lesson. To achieve that, at least participants from 50 countries were required to perform. But that day participants from 84 countries performed Yoga at Rajpath. Mr. Shripad Yesso Naik, then MoS. Ministry of AYUSH and Secretary AYUSH received the awards which were presented by the representatives of Guinness World Records Ms. Victoria from UK and Mr. Marco Frigatti from Italy. Also present on the occasion were Yog Gurus, Mr. Guru Malladi, coordinator of EY Company. The India’ s proposal for the IYD was supported by as many as 177 countries for the first time in the history of UNO( United Nations Organisation) and the resolution was passed within 100 days.
Mr. Modi, in his first year in office, addressed the 69th session of UNGA on 27th September 2014 and had urged the international community to celebrate Yoga day.
On 11th December, the 193-member UNGA had approved the proposal by consensus with record 177 countries, including 47 Muslim nation cosponsors, clearing a resolution to establish June 21 as ' International Yoga Day’.
Now, more than 250 cities across six continents in the world performed Yoga to mark the first International Yoga Day, with Mr. Modi leading the nation, along with 35,000 yogis at Rajpath and External Affairs Minister Ms. Sushma Swaraj had represented India at the UN in New York. On the first IYD, Ms. Swaraj says Indians across 650 districts and 192 out of 193 countries of the globe took part in Yoga events being planned to celebrate the Day, with Yemen being the only exception because of war situation.“ Our embassy has been shifted to Djibouti from Yemen and this is the reason that we have left out
NEWSCOPE RESEARCH ISSUES
20 Volume 3 | Issue 3 | July-September 2018