How India is preparing for the International Day of Yoga 2019

International Day of Yoga has become one of the most popular observations of the UNO in terms of people’s participation from across the globe. On the eve of the June 21, we bring you a quick read on how India, the place of origin for the Yoga, is preparing to celebrate the fifth International Day of Yoga.

Since it was first observed in 2015, the International Day of Yoga has become one of the most popular observations of the United Nations. The first International Day of Yoga was observed on June 21, 2015, in 192 out of 193 member countries of the world. This year, the celebrations for the fifth International Day of Yoga will formally start today at 5 pm with the celebration of 'Yoga with Guru' at the United Nations in New York. The United Nations has adopted 'Climate Action' as the theme for fifth International Day of Yoga on which a panel discussion will be organised on June 21.

Yoga is regarded as India's gift to the world for 'Good Health and Well Being' which is included as Global Goal 3 in the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 set up by the United Nations in 2015 for the year 2030. Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word 'yoga' derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness. India's proposal for the International Day of Yoga in the UNGA was cosponsored by an all-time record of 177 nations. The first International Day of Yoga was observed by 192 out of 193 member countries of the world but only Yemen could not participate due to the internal insurgency.

As the countdown for celebrations has begun, here we present news capsule on how India, the place of origin for the Yoga, is preparing for the International Day of Yoga 2019.

1. Union Minister Shripad Yesso Naik said the theme for the fifth International Day of Yoga is 'Yoga for Heart'. Naik, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, said with the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the entire world is observing Yoga Day on June 21.

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the main event of the International Day of Yoga 2019 in Ranchi on June 21. Around 30,000 people are expected to participate in the main event which is scheduled to be held in Ranchi.The main event for the first International Day of Yoga was organized at India Gate in New Delhi. Since then every year the Prime Minister Narendra Modi participates in the main event. The Centre has also shortlisted five cities -- Delhi, Shimla, Mysore, Ahmedabad and Ranchi -- for holding the national programme of the International Yoga Day this year. It will be the government's first mega public event after Narendra Modi became prime minister for a second term.

3. A special event has been organized for diplomatic corps at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in Chanakyapuri from 8.30 am on June 21. Here the officials working for the foreign mission of various countries would practice the Yoga.

4. The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) has joined hands with spiritual teacher Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev to observe the International Day of Yoga, the defence ministry said Wednesday. As part of the programme, yoga sessions will be conducted in various clusters on Thursday and Friday at Birchgunj, Minnie Bay and INS Utkrosh. On Friday, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev will lead the yoga session on board Floating Dock of Indian Navy (FDN-2). Vice Admiral Bimal Verma, the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, along with senior officers, personnel and families of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard will participate in the event. During both the days, more than 800 personnel and their families are expected to participate. The founder of Isha Foundation is expected at arrive Port Blair on Thursday and depart on Saturday, after attending the events earmarked for International Day of Yoga. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev will felicitate organ donors of the Command and will interact with personnel and families of ANC.

5. The various units of Border Security Force (BSF) are also preparing for the International Day of Yoga. The BSF camps in Delhi, Assam and Odisha have posted the pictures of conducting practising sessions on Yoga.

6. Over 1.50 crore people will participate in the International Day of Yoga events to be held at 50,000 different locations across Gujarat on June 21, said Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama. The state-level main event on the Yoga Day will be held in Ahmedabad in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Governor O P Kohli.

Over 1000 Yoga enthusiasts performed 108 Surya Namaskar in the backdrop of Lukshmi Villas Palace in a spectacular event organized by Yogniketan on the dawn of 20th June at Vadodara to mark the kickstart of the #YogaDay2019 celebrations. Here is the glimpse of the event. pic.twitter.com/cuUNzroK5k

— CMO Gujarat (@CMOGuj) June 20, 2019

7. A three-day National Yoga Olympiad of school children, organised by the National Council of Educational Research and Training is being held at Chacha Nehru Bhawan in New Delhi. The Olympiad was inaugurated yesterday by the Director and UNESCO Representative for India, Mr Eric Falt in the presence of Director NCERT, Professor Hrushikesh Senapaty. This is the fourth edition of National Yoga Olympiad. It was first started in the year 2016.

8. Yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali will organize programs in one lakh villages across India on the occasion of International Yoga Day on June 21. "We wanted to organize programs in at least 1 lakh villages across India through Patanjali on the occasion of International Yoga Day. It is great that Yoga is not being seen through the lenses of religion and practices, it is a knowledge passed on by our ancestors," Ramdev said to media.

9. A minimum of 13 crore people, including 10 lakh in the national capital, are expected to attend International Yoga Day celebrations and perform the ancient yogic exercises across the country. Over 76 lakh people have already registered themselves to participate in yoga sessions on the day, through Ayush Ministry's website.

10. The personnel of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) will perform Yoga on difficult weather conditions like freezing Ladakh and scorching Chhattisgarh.

11. 'Dangal' and 'Badhai Ho' fame actress, Sanya Malhotra joined Swami Mukundananda's, the Yogi and international authority on mind management, at the one of the largest scale yoga and holistic health festivals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In its 5th year running, more than 3,000 people turned out at Dallas Yoga Fest 2019 to take their holistic health to the next level.

12. All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi organized a yoga seminar on Sunday morning in the run-up to the fifth international yoga day on June 21. This initiative was taken up by the department of Centre for Integrative Medicine and Research (CIMR), AIIMS. "We have set yoga workshops in all the departments throughout the week to inculcate the habit of yoga and reduce stress amongst the medical staff of AIIMS. The entire faculty of AIIMS on the 21st of June will partake in yoga too," said Dr Randeep Guleria, AIIMS Director.

13. Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) will celebrate International Yoga Day in a big way on June 21, registrar Abdul Hamid said on Friday. Giving details of the event, he said, "AMU has been observing International Day of Yoga 2015, but this year it will be done in a big way. The celebrations will be marked by a series of events beginning June 15...some prominent yoga exponents have been invited to deliver lectures and hold workshops."

14. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed Universities across the country to organise mass Yoga demonstrations on the International Day of Yoga on June 21. Accordingly, almost all the universities are organising events on Yoga Day.

15. India has announced 33 media awards on Yoga Day 2019. Acknowledging the positive role & responsibility of media in disseminating the outreach of Yoga in India and abroad, the Minister said the Ministry of I&B has instituted the First Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman (AYDMS) from this year to mark the contribution of media in spreading the message of Yoga.

16. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is using social media to promote Yoga in various innovative ways. He along with the Ministry of Ayush regularly releases animated videos of the Yoga positions. A dedicated #YogaDay2019 is also trending.

17. Besides, almost all the ministries of the Central government, state governments, non-government organizations, civil societies, corporate houses, RWAs, religious bodies are also organising events at their level.

18. Ahead of International Yoga Day on June 21, the AYUSH Ministry has launched a mobile application to enable people to locate yoga events, centres providing training and instructors. Yoga locator- a map-based location app - will also enable yoga instructors to register themselves and reach out to a large number of people, a senior official of the ministry said.