Int’l Yoga Day: Sukhna Lake projected as second major venue

The UT administration has decided to make the Sukhna Lake second major venue for performing yoga on International Yoga Day on June 21. The ministry of Ayush has already recommended the Capitol Complex, Sector 1, for organising the main mega event, which is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi; the official confirmation about his visit is awaited as of now.

Sources claim the administration is planning to celebrate the event like a yoga festival.

Taking along every section of the society, the administration — apart from residents, youngsters, and professionals — will also train some Burail jail inmates, who will perform yoga at the jail premises.

Meanwhile, the co-ordination committee for International Yoga Day event on Wednesday met under the chairmanship of UT adviser Parimal Rai. Other officials of the UT administration, Punjab and Haryana, representatives from the UT Police, Army and Air Force also attended the meeting at UT Secretariat in Sector 9. Ayush ministry joint secretary Anil Ganeriwal, who also attended the meeting, handed over booklets and yoga DVDs containing yoga postures to be performed at the event.

The booklet contains about 17 ‘asanas’ will be performed at the event, which will last around 45 minutes in the morning.

Parimal Rai said, “We should celebrate yoga like any other festival. Rather than a date-specific event, it should be adopted in our lifestyle. We plan to engage most city residents to become part of the event, as yoga promotes healthy lifestyle.”During the meeting, the officials were assigned different tasks to make the event successful. The Art of Living, a spiritual foundation, has been given the responsibility to teach yoga to corporate, jail inmates, labour class and college students; the Isha Foundation will train students in schools; and the Patanjali Yogpeeth will assist the overall yoga training.

All the trainers will attend a three-day orientation programme after May 15, following which they will hold sessions in different sectors of the city. Deputy commissioner Ajit Balaji Joshi has called the heads of different banks, IT companies and other bodies to seek their contribution.

6,000 Army, Air Force personnel to do yoga

Sources say different departments have been given targets to mark maximum attendance during the event. Besides residents, over 5,000 Army personnel and over 1,000 Air Force personnel will also perform yoga.

The ministry of Ayush will provide T-shirts promoting yoga for the participants at the main venue. The administration will soon float tenders for arranging mats, LED screens, water supply, barricades, carpets, etc.

Those taking part in the main event will also be issued photo-identity cards. The PM is expected to perform yoga ‘asanas’ along with over 35,000 students and residents at the main venue, while over 70,000 people are expected to perform yoga at other venues.