Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday performed yoga at an event on the banks of the Dal Lake here as he led the International Yoga Day celebrations in the union territory and urged all to embrace the ancient practice.
Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Kapil Patil, Chief Secretary A K Mehta and Srinagar Municipal Corporation Mayor Junaid Mattu, among others, participated in the event.
“Greetings on #InternationalDayofYoga. Participated in #YogaDay2022 along with Hon’ble Union MoS Shri @KapilPatil_ and hundreds of people at Dal Lake in Srinagar. I urged all to embrace Yoga as an integral part of life for holistic approach to health & well-being,” Sinha tweeted.
“This invaluable gift to humanity is being used as a therapeutic intervention for various disorders & bringing equilibrium of body, mind and intellect,” he said.
Sinha said the theme for this year’s International Yoga Day, ‘Yoga For Humanity’, underlines the message of universal brotherhood in trying times.
Celebrations for 8th International Day of Yoga were held at 75 iconic sites across the country as a part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. Apart from Dal Lake, people gathered at BSF BOP Octroi Suchetgarh, Jammu and Martand Sun Temple Anantnag, Kashmir for mass Yoga demonstrations, an official press release informed.
“Yoga is the ancient heritage connecting the whole world into one thread. Yoga means unity, harmony. With the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, India is guiding the world for holistic well being,” the LG said.
“Yoga has become a mass movement. Maharishi Patanjali, the greatest scientist, gave the ultimate message of living in the present. There is no past and there is no future, you are here and now. One can enter in yoga only by living this very moment,” observed the LG.
“All the Aasanas we perform in yoga, in reality, are not just related to the body, they are not just physical exercises, but reflect our ability to live in the moment,” he added.
Dedicating the observance of the International Day of Yoga to the selfless and dedicated services of all the doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals and the efforts and struggle of the people, the LG observed that when humanity was battling with the Covid pandemic, doctors, researches and health experts across the world, in unison, recommended and appealed people to follow yoga practices.
“I urge the citizens to take advantage of yoga facilities and services being extended by the J&K AYUSH department and adopt yoga in their routine,” he said.
“Let’s build resilience against diseases, promote self-care to maintain perfect harmony between the body and mind, and bring people closer to each other by adopting yoga as an integral part of life,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj said, “Yoga represents the noble and ancient knowledge of health science and it generates physical as well as spiritual energy in a person and helps in removing diseases from the body”.
Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary also highlighted the benefits of practice of yoga in daily life.
During the celebrations of International Day of Yoga, adequate arrangements were made for seamless live streaming and screening of the Prime Minister’s address from Mysuru Palace Grounds, Mysuru, Karnataka.
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj organized the IDY–2022 in close coordination and collaboration with the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the Department of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj and Directorate of AYUSH. The Ministry of Ayush coordinated the event through Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine of CCRUM as nodal agency for the event, the press release said.
It said Mass Yoga Demonstration as per Common Yoga Protocol was conducted at the venue and all the participants joined the 45-minutes yoga session to mark the IDY–2022. The yoga session at Dal Lake was guided by yoga expert, Dr. Ruhi Tabassum.
Around 1200 participants from various organizations attended the IDY–2022 celebrations at SKICC, Srinagar on the picturesque Dal Lake; including from Directorate of AYUSH and Unani College; RRIUM; RDD (elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayati Raj Institutions); Department of Youth and Sports; Health Department; SKUAST; BSF; CRPF; Scouts; NHM and others.
Junaid Azim Mattu, Mayor SMC; Dr. Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary Ministry of Panchayati Raj; Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to LG; Dr. Bijaya Kumar Behera, Economic Adviser, Ministry of Panchayati Raj; Ch. Mohammad Yasin, Mission Director, National Health Mission, J&K besides senior officers of civil administration, police and paramilitary forces also participated in the International Yoga Day celebrations at Dal Lake.
