Adding on to his list of “important-days” to the Indian calendar, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced June 21st to be International Yoga Day. Initially proposed by Mr.Modi in his speech at UN General Assembly; the day has been officially recognized by UN on December 11, 2014.
It is definitely a refreshing proposal from our dynamic Prime Minister because in the race of life and catching up with Western countries; we have forgotten the better existing Indian alternatives. With many developed nations and western celebrities finding solace in Yoga, we in India are running on tread mills and signing up for gyms.
“Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.”
These were Mr.Modi’s words which concisely presented the idea to the world leaders at UN General Assembly.
It is commendable of our PM to vouch for Indian culture and praise our traditions wherever given a platform. It is known that only when we realize our own traits and identity, and use it as our strength; even others will show us respect. PM’s propaganda of welcoming foreigners to India by publicizing our traditions is worth praise because he truly believes that the world should respect India for its rich culture and heritage.
The whole picture becomes very shady and tainted when you wish to look at it more critically, and politically.
The Indian culture and traditions apparently belong to the age before India was invaded by Mughals, Persians, Arabs or Europeans. That Indian culture is predominantly Hindu in nature. If to be spoken from a naïve layman point of view; PM Narendra Modi is trying to propagate Hinduism through his office and position of power.
But we all are not naïve. Neither are most of the Indian citizens.
They might not understand the concept when people say Hindutva is not a religion, but it is a way of life. But they surely understand that more or less Yoga is just an old form of exercise which is very helpful in leading a healthy life.
There are politicians all over India trying to make hay in the sunshine of religious battle cry; who are trying to instigate people to abandon Yoga Day as it is insulting their religions.
Thankfully majority of the educated middle class understands the difference between religious ritual and a healthy practice. As an act of appearing liberal and secular the government has even made all Yoga Day activities voluntary for anyone, rather being mandatory for all; unlike the “Swaccha Bharat” campaign which was strictly made a norm.
The BJP government with its vast number of RSS kar-sevaks has organized large number of Yoga Centers all over the nation to be open on June 21st. Pamphlets and materials will be distributed at these centers and a small session of Yoga will also commence to mark the 1st International Yoga Day.
Let’s make International Yoga Day an effort towards healthier Bharat, instead of tainting it with gash of politics.
