Rajnath, Naik and Yogi leads International Yoga Day celebrations in UP

Union Home minister Rajnath Singh took a lead and performed Yoga at the lawns of Raj Bhawan along with Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as International Yoga Day was celebrated across Uttar Pradesh with fervour.

It was the first time when CM Yogi wore a saffron T-shirt instead of a kurta while the Union Home minister was seen wearing a white T-shirt and black lower instead of his traditional dhoti-kurta.

Rajnath Singh hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his initiatives to make Yoga a public movement across the world. He said that Yoga was an ancient yet modern art to keep every individual physically fit and mentally active.

“Yoga does not have a religious colour. Though this art was born in India, many Islamic countries have accepted it.  The Indian government has conferred Padma Shree on a Yoga teacher from Saudi Arabia which is no less achievement,” Singh said adding that now even Americans were adopting Yoga as a way of life.

Governor Ram Naik said that Yoga was the biggest gift to the world from India. “This is the cheapest mode to keep one fit. No one needs to pay a penny and instead, one gets a good body and mind,” Naik said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that Yoga has brought the focus back on the importance of good health. “Yog does not only talk about wellness but also about the spirit of tolerance in Indian culture. Yoga is required to maintain a balance – mental as well as physical,” he said.

Ayush minister Dr Dharma Singh Saini said that grand preparations were made for the 4th International Yoga day as the event was enthusiastically celebrated at every tehsil headquarter, block headquarter and municipalities in UP. 

“Crores of people performed Yoga today in UP. People thronged the lawns of Raj Bhawan to village chaupal to celebrate this day,” he said.

Later under the watchful eyes of Dr Shiv Shankar Tripathi, dignitaries and other participants performed different asaanas.

Senior bureaucrats, literatti of the city, BJP leaders and journalists took part in the celebration. 

In Varanasi, over 1 lakh people participated in the Yoga event at different places including Sampurnanand Sports Stadium where state UP president Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey, minister Neelkanth Tewari and international athlete Neelu Misra performed aasanas.

Hundreds of sants, seer and locals performed Yoga at the ghats of Ganga in Varanasi early in the morning. Under the banner ‘Subah-e-Banaras’, people performed asanas for healthy life.

Health minister Sidhharth Nath Singh celebrated Yoga Day in Meerut with hundreds of other enthusiasts. He said that Yoga brought joy in life and provided passport for a healthy life. 

Meanwhile in Bareilly, Union minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi’s sister Farhat Naqvi performed Yoga with triple talaq victims. She said that Yoga brought physical as well as mental strength for an individual. They started with Surya Namaskar and performed many other aasanas.