Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 21
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today led the celebrations of the fifth International Yoga Day from Ranchi and hailed the ancient Indian art as a panacea for all ills.
As yoga camps dotted locations globally from the UNGA hall to the Rajpath, from glaciers in Badrinath to Beijing, from parks of Dubai to heritage sites in the UK, the world joined the event led by India.
PM Modi performed yoga at Prabhat Tara grounds in Ranchi with a gathering of over 40,000 people and described the art as “ancient and modern; constant and evolving”. He said, “For centuries, the essence of yoga has remained the same: healthy body, stable mind, spirit of oneness.” He promised to take yoga to the nook and corner of India, especially to the daily lives of the poor.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla led events at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Red Fort and Parliament House complex. Government ministers panned out across India to be with the people on the day the UN adopted as International Yoga Day in 2015.
An imposing image of the day was the one that showed ITBP personnel in yoga asanas across the Vasudhara Glacier at a height of 13,000 feet. Contrasting images poured in on social media—Dubai marked the day at Zabeel Park; Indian Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh practised Yoga at Chanakya Bagh while Indian Army soldiers held camps at Delhi Cantonment.
Sixty ambassadors participated in a camp which the MEA organised in the capital. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar tweeted appreciations for the diplomatic corps for taking part in the day and confirmed participation from 56 countries, seven organisations and 250 diplomats in India alone. China also had its share of yoga as India’s envoy to China Vikram Misri led the celebrations; the UK saw the camp being held at Durdle Door stone arch, a UNESCO World Heritage Site along England’s south-western coast.
Rahul tweets dog yoga pic, BJP slams him
Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted pictures of Indian Army dogs performing yoga poses alongside soldiers and captioned in “New India”, triggering a wave of reactions, mostly angry, on Twitter. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote, “With due respect to you, @RahulGandhi Ji, these are proud members of the Indian Army and they contribute to the safety of our nation.”
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2KwEyCs
via Today’s News Headlines
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