Braj region residents mark Yoga Day with enthusiasm

Residents of Braj region participated eagerly in International Yoga Day celebrations all over eight districts of the Agra and Aligarh division, on Wednesday.

More than 1,000 participants including 43 students from madrasas performed Yoga at AMU while the U.P. minister for urban development and energy, AK Sharma, led the proceedings at Eklavya Stadium in Agra.

On the occasion of 9th International Yoga Day, with the theme of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, armed forces personnel and families of Strike One Corps performed Yoga, in Mathura.

The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) teachers, students, officials, and a host of participants from other institutions and society attended the celebrations organised by the department of physical education on its lawns.

Participants joined the event with unwavering zeal, adhering to the protocols outlined by the ministry of education and AYUSH.

Urooj Mudassir, a Class 7 student of the ABK High School (Girls), expertly demonstrated various Asanas of Yoga, inspiring participants to learn the synchronisation between the body and the mind.

In his inaugural address, the AMU vice-chancellor and director, International Yoga Day celebrations, AMU, Prof Mohammad Gulrez, lauded the efforts to organise the event on a large scale, which also marked the culmination of the year-long Akhand Yoga Karyashala (AYK). He felicitated the participants of AYK with a shawl and a memento. The guest of honour was AMU registrar Mohd Imran.

In Mathura, Lieutenant General Sanjay Mitra, General Officer Commanding Strike One, highlighted the positive effects of yoga, and exhorted everyone to pursue yoga as a way of life for overall wellbeing.

In Agra, AK Sharma, U.P. minister for urban development and energy, led the proceedings. He gave credit to prime minister Narendra Modi for giving Yoga an international identity by raising it at the United Nations.

Union minister of state for health and family welfare, Prof SP Singh Baghel, stated that Yoga not only keeps one free of diseases but also generates energy, and thus, one should make Yoga a regular feature of daily activities.