Ahead of International Day of Yoga, government plans to take Yoga to every village
Ahead of the International Day of Yoga, Indian government is planning an ambitious Yoga Gram programme to spread yoga in every village of the country. The Yoga Day celebrations on June 21 this year, meanwhile, will happen in Dehradun. The 45 minute performance will be led, as usual, by prime minister Narendra Modi.
Talking about the yoga gram programme, secretary Ayush, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said: “The effort of to have villages where at least one person in every family practises Yoga. Such villages will be designated as Yoga gram or Yoga villages.” Minister Shripad Naik has already written to the heads of all panchayat pradhans in the country in their own languages, to hold yoga day events in their panchayats.
“We are trying to ensure that in countries where the Indian diaspora is there, they also get to participate in the Yoga Day event”
For the main event on Yoga Day, three venues in Dehradun have been short-listed. These are the GTC Grounds, Maharana Pratap College of Physical Education and FRI Grounds. The final selection will be done in consultation with the State Government. This is the fourth Yoga Day. The first was held in Delhi’s Rajpath in 2015. Since then the Yoga Day events have been held in various cities across the country.
Kotecha added that this year the celebrations in the Indian Embassies around the world are expected to have more public participation. “We are trying to ensure that in countries where the Indian diaspora is there, they also get to participate in the Yoga Day event,” he said.
The count-down to the main event also includes a sustained campaign through social media platforms. Online jingle and poster competitions and yoga-quiz have already added to the buzz. Kotecha said that competitions on Facebook like the “IDY Challenge” had attracted excellent response, and more such activities are planned on the newly re-vamped and interactive IDY Portal.
Whether it is any metropolitan city in India or in the U.S., it is common to see people walking around carrying sling bags in beautiful patterns, holding their yoga mats. Read the article “Recounting The Amazing Journey of Yoga on International Yoga Day 2018” at zovon.