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Yoga is perhaps India’s greatest contribution to human civilisation after zero. So it is terrific that after all these years, we finally have a government that is eager to showcase this non-religious, non-Hindu, secular health and fitness practice on a global stage.
Not that yoga is not already the world’s favourite floor exercise but as any patriotic (non-resident) Indian would tell you, it is a different kind of thrill to have the world’s top 175 nations co-sponsor a U.N. resolution to make June 21 the International Day of Yoga.
With the world’s first International Yoga Day round the corner, the NDA government, which is headed by an ardent yoga aficionado, is pulling out all stops to make it a truly historic day. Plans are afoot for a massive yoga demonstration at Rajpath on June 21.
Anxious to ensure a good turnout, the Health Ministry has already >issued circular asking bureaucrats to attend the 35-minute yoga session, scheduled to start at 7 a.m. Not surprisingly, a good number of babus are less than enthusiastic about having to wake up early on a Sunday morning for a government function. Also, many of them are not exactly flexible. They are concerned that they may not be able to adopt or sustain the uncomfortable — and possibly painful — postures demanded by some of the more difficult asanas .
Others are worried about the adverse impact on their health, which is ironic, given that the government is promoting yoga as a health-benefiting practice. “How,” grumbles a bureaucrat from the Environment Ministry, “does one do pranayama in the capital’s toxic air whose particulate matter (PM) levels are not only at historic highs, but also very different from the levels prevalent when the yogic breathing techniques were first devised by Lord Shiva?” Incidentally, the PM levels in Delhi’s air are at their highest early in the morning.
The Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy), which is in-charge of organising the celebrations, doesn’t seem too troubled by these concerns. According to media reports, its immediate priority is to >create a new Guinness record for the largest number of people doing yoga at one location. And just in case this sounded too easy — after all, this is India, and pulling together a crowd for anything is no big deal — the government has set a target of >getting at least 100 representatives from 100 different countries to participate in the showpiece event.
While these preparations may sound impressive, hardcore lovers of yoga and Indian culture are not impressed. Many of them are asking: Why hasn’t the government organised a Yoga Premier League in India, along the lines of the IPL?
Or at least a Yoga World Cup – with the final scheduled for International Yoga Day?
After all, they argue, yoga competitions are highly popular not just in India but around the world. The prestige of hosting a World Cup that (unlike the Cricket World Cup) would have had a truly global representation could have brought India the added glory of being a world champion in a sport other than Kabaddi.
They are even more disappointed that the government — despite having secured a calendar day exclusively for yoga — has taken no steps to make it an Olympic sport. Every child knows that making yoga a part of the Olympics — with 84 categories for the 84 classic asanas — is the quickest way to take India to the top of the medal standings. (The highest tally of gold medals in the 2012 summer Olympics was 46, won by the U.S.)
In fact, while India has a vast talent pool of yoga masters, Baba Ramdev alone could set a new record for the maximum number of golds won by one Olympian in one edition of the Olympics. Unfortunately, the NDA government has shown a shocking lack of initiative in this regard.
AYUSH Ministry sources, however, say that it is to make amends for these failures that the PM is planning to personally lead the 35-minute yoga session on June 21. If this happens, it would make our PM the first Head of State in the history of the human race to do so.
Which asanas he will perform is, of course, for security reasons, a tightly kept secret. But speculation is rife on the poses lucky enough to be showcased by the Prime Minister.
There is also chatter among the capital’s culturati on whether the PM will be taking a selfie during the event, and if yes, which asana would figure in the selfie. Sources close to the PMO indicate that the selfie would be taken in padmasana – given the obvious resonance the lotus position has with the BJP symbol. But another strong contender is a Virasana selfie. Virasana (the hero pose) is expected to synergise well with Mr. Modi’s image as a real hero for millions of Indians around the world.
Striking a different note, however, was a former UPA-II Cabinet Minister, who claimed that the asana most befitting of being showcased by the present government is Pavanamuktasana (the wind-releasing posture). This asana , incidentally, is part of the official selection of the AYUSH Ministry’s >Common Yoga Protocol specially prepared for the June 21 event. According to the Protocol, Pavanamuktasana “gives relief from flatulence”.
