NEW YORK CITY (TIP):”Our aim is to make Yoga the mantra of our time”, said Consul General Dnyaneshwar Mulay at the meeting, June 12, to review the preparations for celebrating the International Day of Yoga on June 21.
“The Indian Consulate has taken the lead to bring together a lot many Indian American organizations, Americans and people from various communities to celebrate the day in the true spirit of “Yoga” – the union.”
Ambassador Mulay said, “177 countries co-sponsored the United Nations resolution to declare International Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 21st every year” which was being celebrated in 191 countries across the world. He also gave out the news that the New York State will celebrate Indian Heritage Month in August when India will be celebrating its Independence.
The meeting was attended by a number of organizations which are involved in organizing Yoga camps in and around New York. These included Art of Living, represented by Ruchika Lal; Global Citizens’ Forum, represented by Dr. B.K. Modi; Tech Mahindra, represented by Ram Chatty; Overseas Volunteers for a Better India (OVBI), represented by Anil Sharma; Hindu Temple Society of North America, represented by Indira Narasimharajan and a few others. Each of the organizing groups briefed the gathering which included local media, about the preparations they had made.
The Deputy Consul General Manoj Mohapatra informed about the visits by India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on June 17th and 18th, and by the Maharashtra Chief Minister later in month. He also announced that the Foreign Affairs Minister of India, Mrs. Sushma Swaraj will be attending the celebrations of IDY in New York as a representative of government of India.
Mr. Mohapatra also outlined the proposal to have the media persons transported to various yoga locations. This is something new which was appreciated by the media present at the meeting.
Earlier, the Consul General listed some major yoga locations. The day (June 21) will start with International Day of Yoga being celebrated at the United Nations. The second major event will be at the Times Square. The third is the Yoga camp at the Hindu Temple in Flushing. And to cap it all, at the Lincoln Center which is being organized by The Art of Living Foundation.
The Indian Consulate released a press note saying ,” Following the resolution, with the support of Tech Mahindra, the Indian Consulate in New York intends to bring together a large number of diverse Indian-American Communities and institutions for celebrating the first International Day of Yoga (IDY) in a befitting manner in and around New York on 21 June, 2015. Tech Mahindra, a leader in digital transformation, consulting and business reengineering, is the technology partner for the IDY. The company has been extensively involved in making the iYoga Day and corresponding events across the country successful and impactful. Besides the Consulate, they also directly support the IDY events at Airports in New York, Lincoln Center and Boston.
“To represent the Government of India, a high-level delegation led by Minister for External Affairs Smt. Sushma Swaraj would be visiting New York from June 20-22, 2015. Besides her participation in the International Day of Yoga at the United Nations in the morning on June 21st, she is expected to participate in the Annual Event of Yoga (Summer Solstice) by Time Square Alliance (Venue: Time Square) from 1230-1300 hrs; Lecture and Demonstration of Yoga at Hindu Temple Society of North American (Venue: Ganesh Temple) from 1530 -1600 hrs and Yoga – A new dimension with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Art of Living Foundation) & Dr. B. K. Modi (Global Citizen Forum) [Venue: Lincoln Centre] from 1900-1930 hours. Details of the major events are given on the backside.
“In its resolution, the UNGA recognised that Yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being and wider dissemination of information about the benefits of practicing Yoga for the health of the world population. Yoga also brings harmony in all walks of life and thus, is known for disease prevention, health promotion and management of many lifestyle-related disorders. Keeping these in mind, the Government of India has adopted IDY Logos and a Common Yoga Protocol, a booklet intended to give a brief overview about Yoga and Yogic practices in order to orient the readers towards comprehensive health for an individual and the community. The details are available on www.indiacgny.org”.