New Delhi: As the 10th International Day of Yoga is celebrated across the world, a number of embassies in New Delhi have shared their stories of the practice, with nearly 100 diplomats participating in a celebration organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Friday.
The diplomats along with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Ministers of State Kirti Vardhan Singh and Pabitra Margherita and senior officials from the MEA took part in the celebrations at the ministry premises.
Diplomats and officials from the Australian High Commission, the German Embassy and the Ukrainian Embassy were some of the individual missions that shared their own celebrations of the day on their social media profiles.
“I attended with great pleasure the early morning yoga session at MEA hosted by Hon. Minister Jaishankar and other high officials of the diplomatic community of Delhi and I enjoyed it a lot. We were all united in the same effort of appreciating the benefits and joy of Yoga – which, as you know, has a Sanskrit name that means ‘to unite’,” said Diana Mickevičienė, the Ambassador of Lithuania to India, to ThePrint after the session.
“Even before the International Day of Yoga was declared by the UN 10 years ago, yoga was rapidly gaining popularity in Lithuania with young and senior citizens alike eagerly exploring its benefits…Yoga is definitely one of the great contributions of India to the world.”
On 11 December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 69/131, which proclaimed 21 June as the International Day of Yoga. The aim of the proclamation is to raise awareness worldwide of the benefits of yoga.
Ever since then, people from all over the world have celebrated the day, with Indian missions carrying out their own celebrations to promote the practice.
Jaishankar on the celebrations organised by the MEA in New Delhi said, “Participated this morning at the #IDY2024 event in New Delhi with members of the diplomatic community. Developing Yoga enthusiasm and awareness around the world has been an inspiration. Happy to see that #YogaforSelfAndSociety has become an essential way of life for so many,” on the social media platform ‘X’.
Members of the Ukrainian embassy shared a video of practising yoga in Mehrauli. The post also mentioned that officials from the embassy have been attending yoga classes regularly for nearly two months at their premises.
Team members of the Embassy of Ukraine in India 🇺🇦🇮🇳 join celebrations of the 10th Anniversary of the International Day of Yoga & more than 5000 years of ancient Yoga tradition.
यत्र विश्वं भवत्येकनीडम्#YogaForPeace#YogaDay#YogaEveryday#YogaDay2024#InternationalYogaDay pic.twitter.com/UCW8iaT8YX
— UKR Embassy in India (@UkrembInd) June 21, 2024
Volodymyr Prytula, a Second Secretary at the Ukrainian Embassy, told ThePrint “I believe that yoga can change both physical and mental wellbeing. This is what I feel as I started practising 2 months back on a regular basis.”
The Australian High Commission to India on social media platform X shared a video of their officials practising yoga asanas across different parts of New Delhi including India Gate and their embassy premises.
#DYK over 10 lakh Australians practice #yoga, including here in #NewDelhi? Meet yoga enthusiasts 🧘♂️🧘♀️ from our Australian High Commission performing their favourite asanas at iconic #Delhi locations to mark #InternationalYogaDay2024. #IYD2024 #YogaforSelfAndSociety @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/ESJIsvmx2z
— Philip Green OAM (@AusHCIndia) June 21, 2024
German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann shared a photo of the German embassy officials doing yoga at their premises to celebrate the day.
Few things are as universal and yet as personal as Yoga.
It is highly introspective and at the same time it connects us as mindful human beings.
This morning, my team & me had a wonderful session in the garden of my residence.
Happy #InternationalYogaDay to everyone! pic.twitter.com/Tm1d9uf349
— Dr Philipp Ackermann (@AmbAckermann) June 21, 2024
“I do not follow a strict yoga routine, but I do practise regularly a set of exercises adapted for me specially which are sourced from Yoga. So I also appreciate how adaptable and flexible Yoga is for all humans,” Ambassador Mickevičienė told ThePrint.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also read: Indian Embassy in Kuwait pays tribute to fire tragedy victims during Yoga Day event