- Thursday, April 24, 2025
The parliamentarian from Kerala said one should also acknowledge those who revived and popularised yoga, including the Indian government.
By: Shubham Ghosh
IN AN unusual development, Shashi Tharoor, a prominent parliamentarian of India’s opposition Congress party on Wednesday (21) praised the Narendra Modi government for reviving and popularising yoga and internationalising the Day of Yoga through the United Nations.
Tharoor, who had served as a top official in the UN between 2002 and 2007 and as a junior foreign minister in the previous Indian government of Manmohan Singh, said this in response to a tweet posted by his party in which it recalled Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, and thanked his contribution towards popularising yoga.
In a tweet, the Congress posted a picture of Nehru performing yoga and said, “On International Day of Yoga, we thank Pt Nehru, who was instrumental in popularising yoga and even made it a part of national policy.”
Indeed! We should also acknowledge all those who revived & popularised yoga, including our government, @PMOIndia & @MEAIndia, for internationalising #InternationalYogaDay through the @UN. As I have argued for decades, yoga is a vital part of our soft power across the world &… https://t.co/WYZvcecl0Q
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) June 21, 2023
“Let us appreciate the importance of the ancient art and philosophy in our physical and mental wellbeing and take steps to incorporate it in our lives,” it added.
Tagging the same, Tharoor said in a tweet, “Indeed! We should also acknowledge all those who revived and popularised yoga, including our government, @PMOIndia & @MEAIndia, for internationalising International Yoga Day through the @UN.”
“As I have argued for decades, yoga is a vital part of our soft power across the world and it’s great to see it recognised,” he said.
The International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practising yoga. Recognising its universal appeal, the UN proclaimed June 21 as the International Day of Yoga and it has been observed since 2015.
This year, the occasion is all the more special as prime minister Narendra Modi was set to lead the celebrations at the headquarters of the UN in New York.
