A PERENNIAL GIFT OF INDIAN WISDOM TO THE WORLD

Interview: Sarbananda Sonowal, minister of Ayush

- PRATUL SHARMA

Q/ Prime Minister Modi has put yoga on the world map. How do you look at the nine-year journey?

A/ Ever since the declaration made by the UN General Assembly in 2014 following the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the International Day of Yoga (IDY) is celebrated globally, on June 21 every year. The aim of this initiative is to raise awareness about the many benefits of practising yoga and to promote its global significance for individual well-being and holistic health. This was the ninth edition of the IDY and all editions have seen record mass participation. Successive observation of the IDY has resulted in establishing this event as a global one in all its essence, thereby taking the ancient science of yoga to every nook and corner of the world. This has positioned India as a champion of good health and well-being across the globe.

The nine-year journey has seen many firsts, which testifies that the inherent all-embracing appeal and efficacy of yoga surpasses all limiting concepts that have divided mankind for eons. Yoga is accepted by people of all ages, religions and ethnicities, and has established itself as a perennial gift of Indian wisdom to the world.

Major international institutions like UNICEF, the WHO and the United Nations, along with Indian missions abroad and national and international yoga institutions, have been actively engaged in making it a success. The event organised on IDY 2022 saw a massive participation— almost 22.13 crore people in India participated. And the global outreach through the various initiatives was recorded to be around 125 crore. We are expecting this number to increase this year.