(This post is just a perspective over the current affairs of the country. It does not intend to harm or defame any person, religion, government or political party. I welcome and thank our government for the initiative to celebrate the International Yoga Day)
Yoga, as they say is a part of the Indian heritage and culture, aids in spiritual, mental and physical well being. Before I write further, let me tell you that I myself practice yoga and attribute a lot of my good health to it. And, I am not a cornered critic of the government.
This Sunday morning, at Rajpath, New Delhi, as they say nearly 40k people piled up to perform yoga (by choice or otherwise), with our honorable PM ji. Does it sound like a coincidence when, on Doordarshan you hear the anchor's ending note - "21 exercises on 21st June for 40 minutes by 40 thousand people" ? Of course, it doesn't take a Vedic-era rocket scientist to understand that this day never had that much to do with yoga, but more of an attempt to get recorded into the Guinness Book. And I do not interpret how much amount they would have stolen from the tax payee's pocket to bear expenses of the Tee's and amenities for each of the participant at Rajpath.
Another disappointment comes from the thought- "Do only people of Delhi need to nurture their health?" To balance this, the news channels reported that the party's various leaders were canvassing, oops..... performing yoga with the crowds at several places across the country! Does it also dilute the Surya Namaskar controversy anyway?
But it makes me wonder why the government chose this one single day to celebrate the treasure of our ancestral art. After all, its not a festival to be celebrated, but a legacy to be carried along by practicing regularly with full devotion.
Its hard to imagine one dedicated day for launching a regular yoga drive. Just like no Valentine's day makes couples ignore each other's nose hair and fall deeper in love. Remember, they also rechristened 25th of December as Good Governance Day.
Why not propose to celebrate a few more such "days" in India and across the world, namely- International "no rape" day, International "don't poke your nose" day, International "dharna" day! I am sure I need not provide description to how each of these must be celebrated!
My verdict- A optimistic welcome this initiative. Hope it reaches one and all, across the world and brings applaud to our culture by providing good health to all.