Early this morning, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined thousands in Chandigarh to mark the second International Yoga Day, 57 ministers led mass yoga sessions at cities across the country. On Sunday too, two top ministers – Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu – were seen attending an event organized by yoga guru Ramdev at Rajpath in New Delhi.
The word “Yoga” means Unify in Sanskrit. Yoga is a system developed in India to align our mind, body, and consciousness with “prana”: the electromagnet pulse that energizes all life. For many, yoga is a non-denominational way for us to find greater connection and inner peace. And worldwide, it has grown into a movement of over 250 million practitioners.
Following a long-held tradition, thousands of yoga fans gathered in New York’s Times Square on Monday to mark the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. During the 14th edition of the annual event, yogis transformed the famous intersection in one of the world’s busiest cities into a huge outdoor yoga lesson surrounded by cars, construction and the hustle and bustle of Manhattan.
The first lesson began at 5:00 am (0900 GMT), and the last at 7:30 pm. All were free and open to yoga practitioners of all levels. There was a heavy police presence. Thousands of yoga mats were distributed for the get-together, covering crosswalks.
Last year, during the first international yoga day designated by the United Nations, some 17,000 people participated.
The ministry of (Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) AYUSH spent around 20 Million Kenyan shillings (Rupees’. 20 crores ) for the second edition of the International Yoga Day. Nearly half of this amount was spent on advertisement, campaigns and special programs across various media platforms like television, newspapers, journals and social media.
The government also spent on accessories like T-shirts, caps, mats for the participants of mass yoga sessions, including the ones organized by Indian missions abroad. The Rs. 20 crore budget did not include expenditure incurred on security. Nor did it include expenditure by various state governments. Ayush had spent Rs. 32.5 crores(32.5 Million Kenyan money) last year on International Yoga Day. This year’s budget was lower but the government did not want to confront on the scale of celebrations
“There are 193 countries in United Nations and except Libya and Yemen, yoga day is being celebrated in all the countries,” said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at a press conference on Sunday.
the Rs. 20 crore budget did not include expenditure incurred on security. Nor did it include expenditure by various state governments.
Ayush had spent Rs. 32.5 crores last year on International Yoga Day. This year’s budget was lower but the government did not want to confront on the scale of celebrations.
By Justinah Kathambi