- Sunday, February 23, 2025
Modi will visit the UT at a time when instances of terror activities are on the rise.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi will lead a major event on the International Day of Yoga on June 21 in Srinagar in the northern Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir. The main celebrations this year will be held at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre in the summer capital of the UT, India’s AYUSH minister Prataprao Jadhav said on Tuesday (18).
Modi will visit the UT at a time when instances of terror attacks are on the rise. On the day he took oath to the office of the prime minister on June 9, terrorists opened fire at a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in Kashmir as a result of which nine people were killed.
Jadhav, who is the minister of state for Ayush (independent charge), said this year’s theme ‘Yoga for Self and Society’ highlights yoga’s dual role in fostering individual and societal wellbeing.
Read: International Yoga Festival 2024 comes to an end at Parmarth Niketan
It underlines promoting the connection between the inner-self and the outer world going beyond one’s own wellbeing, Jadhav, who took over the charge on June 11 in the third government of Modi, said.
“Yoga nurtures physical, mental, and spiritual growth while promoting societal harmony. The enthusiastic participation of millions in recent years reflects the profound impact of yoga on communities,” the minister said.
Read: Yoga free from copyright, patents, royalties: Modi at UN headquarters yoga session
He also announced that Modi has written to each gram pradhan (village head), encouraging grassroots participation and the spread of yoga in rural areas.
Jadhav also launched a ‘Common Yoga Protocol Book in Braille’ script to support visually impaired people to learn and practice yoga with convenience besides Professor Ayushman comic on yoga. This book will help children to learn and practice yoga with interest and entertainment.
The United Nations General Assembly, heeding to a call by Prime Minister Modi, had made a declaration in December 2014 to observe June 21 every year as the International Day of Yoga. A resolution of the General Assembly over the same in December 2014 came at the initiative of Modi and was passed unanimously.
Last year, the global celebration of the yoga day was led by Modi at the United Nations headquarters in New York, US where he had gone on a state visit, while the national celebration was led by Indian vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar at Jabalpur in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.
Celebrations related to the International Day of Yoga are done by a harmonious 45 minutes of yoga demonstration called Common Yoga Protocol (CYP). Videos of CYP demonstrations are available on YouTube in 22 Indian languages, six UN languages and nine other foreign languages.
This year, the International Day for Yoga will witness several events including the ‘Yoga for Space’. With support of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), a unique initiative called ‘Yoga for Space’ is being organised wherein all ISRO scientists/officers will perform CYP on the yoga day.
(With PTI inputs)
