Rijiju joins event at last village along Indo-China-Myanmar border
OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday joined the rest of the world in celebrating International Day of Yoga in 45 different locations of the state. Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju led the event at Dong in Anjaw district, bordering China.
Speaking on the occasion, Rijiju appealed to the people to embrace yoga for well being and celebrate a healthy life. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his idea of mass demonstration of yoga on this day at 75 iconic locations across the country.
Dong is the eastern-most village in India, near the point where borders of India, China and Myanmar meet. Dong experiences the first sunrise in India, thus earning it the nickname 'India's Land of the Rising Sun'.
The Ministry of Ayush is observing International Day of Yoga at 75 iconic locations across the country. The theme of this year's celebration of the day is 'Yoga for Humanity'.
State Governor Brig (Retd) Dr B D Mishra led the event at Raj Bhavan here. Speaking on the occasion, the Governor said that yoga is many thousand years old wellness pursuit of Indian origin and practiced by ancient intellectuals and sages for physical, mental and spiritual upliftment.
He said that yoga provides harmony of the body and mind and enables the practitioners to imbibe peace of mind, good health and positive attitude. Mishra said that on the initiative of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and subsequent to his laudable address in the UN General Assembly on September 17, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly on December 14, 2014 with overwhelming support of its members, declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga (IDY).
"Today, it is one of the most popular wellness regimes adopted across the world as an ideal way of life," the Governor said and emphasized that the benefits of yoga must reach everyone in the country so that they can adopt it to their advantage.
The Governor appealed to the people to regularly practice yoga and further stressed motivating the younger generation to gainfully practice it.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu joined the event, first at the iconic Tawang Monastery with officials, school children, personnel of ITBP, SSB and BRO and monks and later at the Army Helipad with personnel of the 190 Mountain Brigade and NCC cadets, at Tawang.
Speaking on the occasion, Khandu said that yoga is an ancient and complex practice, rooted in Indian philosophy, which began as a spiritual practice but became popular as a way of promoting physical and mental well-being.
"The modern lifestyle has taken a toll over our physical as well as mental health. In pursuit of wealth and success, health no more is in our priority list. Therefore yoga is the only way for a healthy body and a healthy mind," he observed.
Khandu explained that yoga is an inexpensive mode of wholesome exercise. "You don't need any equipment to practice yoga and can practice it in any weather condition," he said. He advised all, especially the youths and children, to make it a habit to practice Yoga every day and not confine it to only the Yoga Day.
Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his initiatives to garner international recognition for the ancient Indian art, Khandu informed that the day is celebrated every year since 2015 following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014.
"Modi, in his UN address in 2014, had suggested to observe the day on June 21 every year as it is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and shares a special significance in several parts of the world," Khandu informed.
He further informed that the day is being celebrated at 75 iconic locations in Arunachal Pradesh, Tawang Monastery being one. Speaking to the officers and jawans of 190 Mountain Brigade, Khandu said yoga should be daily routine for army personnel posted at high altitude border posts.
"Besides being physically fit our jawans need to be mentally fit too and yoga is the means to achieve it," he said.
Meanwhile, Khandu welcomed the Central Government's decision to recruit 'Agniveers' through the 'Agnipath' project in all the three wings of the country's defence force. He expressed optimism that soon the army, navy and air-force would be beaming with youth and energy.
He assured that 'Agniveers' after retirement will be given top priority in the state police services. He also added that those who would like to start their own business would be given priority through all state government flagship schemes.
The main event at the district level was organized at the Golden Pagoda in Namsai district which was attended by Union Minister of State for Steel & Rural Development Faggan Singh Kulaste and state's Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein.
The event was also observed at Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Complex wherein Speaker P D Sona along with Industries minister Tumke Bagra, MLA Nyato Dukam and staff of Assembly participated.
Interacting with the media, the Speaker extended his good wishes to the people of the state and expressed his hope that the occasion would motivate more and more people to practise yoga. "Everyone should learn and practise yoga because it is not only beneficial for one's physical health but also for mental health," Sona said, while calling upon everyone to do yoga regularly to stay healthy.
One can achieve physical health through normal exercises but for mental health one needs to practise yoga which is a combination of both physical and mental exercise, he added while sharing his experience of the yoga session.
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