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Yoga Day in Mumbai: Regular sessions will build a healthy country, says Vice President
VP Venkaiah Naidu participates in event organised at Bandra Reclamation promenade; city observes 4th International Yoga Day with sessions at stations and schools.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said he wanted yoga to become a people’s movement and a part of school syllabus so that citizens of the country are healthy. Naidu was addressing an event organised at Bandra Reclamation promenade on the occasion of the 4th International Yoga Day.
“Yoga is a valuable gift given by India to the world. It helps build positive energy. Yoga practice helps create positive thoughts. To build a healthy country, we have to incorporate yoga practice as part of the school syllabus. With changing lifestyles, stress can be easily relieved by practising yoga regularly,” Naidu said, speaking in Mumbai. “I want yoga to become a people’s movement because it is not something political or religious, it is for the betterment of our lives.”
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who attended the event, also urged youngsters to practise yoga every day.
The event, organised by Spandan Art, an NGO run by BJP’s city unit chief Ashish Shelar, was also attended by employees and officers of the Mumbai police and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Union minister Babul Supriyo, Mumbai police commissioner Datta Padsalgikar, BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta, and MP Poonam Mahajan were present, along with other dignitaries.
The BMC organised yoga events across the city, in which 1.5 lakh students and 15,000 teachers and staff from civic schools took part, performing yoga for 45 minutes, conducted by Physical Training (PT) teachers. Yoga is part of the civic school curriculum. Yoga Day was also observed in schools, colleges and universities across Maharashtra.
Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao observed the day at the Yoga Institute in Bandra, while state education minister Vinod Tawde participated in a programme at Gateway of India.
Hundreds of state government employees also performed yoga at Mantralaya on Thursday morning.
Yoga Day was also celebrated by both the Western Railway and Central Railway. While CR arranged a yoga session for commuters at the CSMT suburban lobby, WR allowed a private group to perform yoga on board suburban locals, besides yoga sessions at the WR headquarters in Churchgate. CR general manager DK Sharma and senior railway officials also performed yoga at an auditorium in CSMT.
The first International Day of Yoga was observed across the world on June 21, 2015. The idea of an international day for yoga was first proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2014.
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