INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY: Thousands practise Yoga on Sangam banks

The banks of the holy Sangam—the confluence of Ganga-Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati—became witnesses to thousands practising Yoga on Tuesday morning.

For the first time on the occasion of 8th International Yoga Day, the event was organised by the district administration near Sangam Nose where a gathering of thousands from all walks of life was led by Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak in performing various asanas of the ancient art form of Yoga that presented a mesmerising picture for all.

Thousands of excited people eager to be part of this mega Yoga session started gathering right from 5am. Volunteers of the district administrators kept seating them in disciplined rows. Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak reached the site at 6:19am and went to the Sangam banks to perform Ganga aarti.

After half an hour, when the deputy CM reached the specially-constructed stage, yoga instructor Dharmendra Mishra formally started the session.

First, the asanas which could be performed while standing were executed like Grivasana (Neck pose), Skandasana (side lunge) and Katichakrasna (Standing Spinal Twist). Then came the asanas which were to be done by sitting, such as Kapalbhati (a purification technique), Bhramari (a breathing technique called Humming Bee Breath) and Vajraasanas (Diamond pose) and the third step came to those asanas which were done lying down, such as bow posture etc.

During this, MP of Phulpur Keshari Devi Patel, state vice president of BJP Laxman Acharya, BJP’s Prayagraj city unit president Ganesh Kesarwani, divisional commissioner Sanjay Goyal, district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Khatri and Prayagraj Development Authority vice-chairman Arvind Kumar Chauhan were also present on the stage along with the minister.

PAC band performed to welcome the deputy CM, besides, many artists who presented a musical demonstration on the stage.

Sand art was also made at the venue on the occasion of International Yoga Day, in which the message of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” was given. There was an eager crowd wishing to take selfies with this sand art.

A group of differently-abled children also attended the event and practised Yoga, including 20 children from the school for deaf and dumb and 11 children from an institution of Naini.

During the event, people who gave special contributions to making the programme successful were also honoured by the deputy CM including representatives of Civil Defense, yoga instructors, and programme coordinators.

Pledge taken to practice yoga daily

PRAYAGRAJ During the programme, every participant took the pledge to practise yoga daily for a healthy body and mind. Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak from the stage appealed to everyone to practice yoga daily. The minister said that people should remember their pledge and embrace Yoga in life. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given this mantra for a healthy India which now the whole world is accepting. Do yoga daily to stay healthy,” he said.

Ganga aarti performed for world peace

PRAYAGRAJ Deputy CM and the minister in charge of Prayagraj division Brajesh Pathak performed Ganga aarti, before the event, for world peace. After reaching the Sangam banks he performed Ganga aarti along with MP Keshari Devi Patel, BJP state vice president Laxman Acharya and senior officials. Priests Acharya Pradeep Pandey and Ashutosh Paliwal conducted the religious ceremony on behalf of the Prayagraj Mela Authority during which prayers were offered for peace and prosperity of the world.

Yoga performed on boats decorated with balloons

PRAYAGRAJ On the Sangam banks, the boat was decorated with tricoloured balloons to commemorate “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava”. Yoga practitioners also performed Yoga on these boats following the instructions being given from the stage.

NCR and other institutions too celebrate the day

PRAYAGRAJ International Yoga Day was celebrated across North Central Railway (NCR) with the theme of “Yoga for Humanity” on Tuesday. A Yoga camp was organised on the theme in the NCR Headquarters premises under the leadership of Pramod Kumar, general manager, NCR which was also attended by the president of NCR women’s welfare organisation Poonam Kumar and additional general manager of NCR Ranjan Yadav. GM Kumar inaugurated the camp by lighting the lamp and administering oaths to officers and employees. At the outset, the message and program Railway Minister from Konark and then the message of the Prime Minister were broadcast live. After this, a yoga session was organised by a trained yoga instructor Anupama Singh. The programme was coordinated by the chief personnel officer Awadhesh Kumar. Similar, yoga shivirs were organised in all the three divisions (Jhansi, Agra and Prayagraj) and workshops of NCR.

A number of other organisations and institutions including universities, schools and colleges also organised yoga sessions to mark the 8th International Yoga Day, here in Prayagraj on Tuesday. These institutions included Allahabad High Court, Uttar Pradesh Rajarshi Tandon Open University, Kriyayoga Meditation Centre, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Information Technology-Allahabad, Allahabad University, Jeevan Jyoti Hospital, Red Eagle Division of the Indian Army and MPVM Ganga Gurukulam in Phaphamau.