Yoga guru Ramdev held a massive yoga camp at the iconic Rajpath in New Delhi on Sunday evening to mark the beginning of the International Yoga Day celebrations.
The event saw participation of thousands of volunteers, including political bigwigs such as Union parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, minister of state for urban development, and for housing and urban poverty alleviation Babul Supriyo, BJP leaders Meenakshi Lekhi, Manoj Tiwari and Vijay Goel besides others.
The event was further rocked by some soothing songs sung by renowned singer-composer Kailash Kher.
Speaking at the occasion, Ramdev said that yoga was not a religious but a spiritual practice and did not make a practitioner lose his religious identity.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking at the occasion, Ramdev said that yoga was not a religious but a spiritual practice and did not make a practitioner lose his religious identity.
{{/usCountry}}“Practicing yoga is not a religious practice. It’s spiritual and secular practice,” Ramdev said.
“Doing ‘Surya Namaskar’ does not convert a Muslim into a Hindu,” he said, while leading the rehearsal ceremony.
Meanwhile, elaborate preparations are underway to celebrate the International Yoga Day on Tuesday. The main event will be held in Chandigarh to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Divyangs, a term coined by Prime Minister Modi for the differently abled, are receiving special training for the mega yoga event on June 21 in Chandigarh. As many as 150 differently abled persons are expected to take part in the event.
In the national capital, there will be 20 differently abled participants, who will give a special performance during the opening ceremony at Connaught Place. June 21 was declared as the International Day of Yoga by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2014. Over 190 countries, including 40 Islamic nations, supported the move to have a special day for yoga.