Stage set for third Yoga Day celebration

New Delhi: Stage is all set for the third International Day of Yoga on Wednesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the celebrations along with over 55,000 participants in Lucknow.

From Central Park in the Connaught Place to Central Park in New York, celebrations will take place in 150 countries with Indian missions coordinating activities in landmark places such as Eiffel Tower in Paris, Trafalgar Square in London and Central Park in New York.

“About 5,000 events will be held across the country to mark International Day for Yoga,” a senior official from Ayush ministry said.

In India, the biggest gathering will be at Lucknow’s Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan where the PM with over 55,000 participants will bend for yogic postures. Elaborate security has been put in place with commandos and paramilitary forces deployed to ensure that everything is managed well.

The Ramamani Iyengar Yoga Institute of Pune has been selected as the first recipient of the PM’s award for outstanding contribution for promotion and development of Yoga.

In the run up to Yoga Day, on Sunday, the PM had shared photographs of practice sessions in several countries through his Twitter handle. Pictures from Bhutan, Afghanistan, New Zealand, China, and Japan are already being shared on social media. In Delhi, eight events have been planned with the main event being held in the Connaught Place.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will organise events at the Connaught Place, its six radials, and inner circles and at the city’s four gardens — Lodhi Garden, Nehru Park, Talkatora Garden and Childrens’ Park at the India Gate.

Events are also being planned in each district of the country. Besides, various departments, state governments and institutions will also conduct their own programmes. The Prime Minister’s Award for Outstanding Contribution for Promotion and Development of Yoga at the national and international level will be given to individuals and organisations on Wednesday.

The centrepiece of the first IDY celebration on June 21, 2015, was New Delhi’s Rajpath. The event made it to the Guinness World Records with 35,985 participants performing asanas at a single venue, and 84 nationalities being part of it.

Last year, the main function was held in Chandigarh. The United Nations General Assembly made a declaration in December 2014 that every June 21 would be observed as International Day of Yoga, a move that India had lobbied for.