Lok Sabha Speaker, Ministers practice Yoga at Red Fort

New Delhi, April 7: Under the leadership of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, more than 3,000 people, including many Union Ministers, MPs and Ambassadors of different countries, performed yoga at the Red Fort on Thursday, to mark the beginning of the 75-day-long Yog Utsav. Held on World Health Day at the iconic Red Fort here, the event kickstarted as 75 days countdown to the International Day of Yoga (IDY). Birla was the Chief Guest at the event, which saw active participation from many Union Ministers, Members of Parliament, Ambassadors of various countries, Yoga gurus, senior officials and volunteers as they performed the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP). Addressing the gathering, Birla outlined the importance of Yoga and said, “Yoga is the symbol of India’s rich cultural heritage. He greeted everyone on World Health Day and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking yoga to the world.” Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal, G Kishan Reddy, Bhupender Yadav, Meenakshi Lekhi, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Rameswar Teli and Shantanu Thakur were present on the occasion. MPs Jagadambika Pal, Rajendra Agarwal, Sunita Duggal, Mangala Suresh Angari, C Laltlanthanga, Phangnon Konyak, Topon Kumar Gogoi, Rajdeep Roy and Horen Singh Bey also marked their presence. A number of dignitaries and officials from Embassies & High Commissions of many countries, including Sweden, Hungary, Vietnam, Madagascar, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, Togo, Peru, Kyrgyzstan and Zimbabwe participated in the Yoga Utsav. The International Day of Yoga is celebrated all over the world on June 21 every year. Sonowal said, “Yoga is a practice that brings about harmony between the body and the mind. It gives us physical power and provides mental balance and emotional stability to meet modern life challenges successfully. We are organizing this event to mark the 75 days Countdown to International Yoga Day.” He also said the Ayush Ministry has planned Yoga performance at 75 heritage sites with prominent India branding to relay programs of International Day of Yoga across the world with the movement of the Sun. He said this is linked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘One Sun, One Earth’ campaign.