From Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh to Yangtze in Arunachal Pradesh, the Indian Army will aim to form what it calls a ‘Bharat Mala’ on International Yoga Day Wednesday, conducting yoga sessions at 106 locations along India’s border.
The Indian Navy, meanwhile, has taken the outreach international, forming an ‘Ocean Ring of Yoga’. As many as 3,500 naval officers, on board 19 ships, travelled upwards of 35,000 km to spread the message of International Yoga Day, according to the Indian Navy.
This includes 2,400 personnel on 11 Indian ships at foreign ports and in international waters.
At Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative, 21 June was recognised as the International Yoga Day by the United Nations General Assembly on 14 December 2015.
Its goal is to increase awareness about yoga — one of India’s most significant cultural exports — on an international scale and to highlight its potential physical, psychological, and emotional benefits.
Army sources said the force will conduct yoga activities across the border regions of the nation. The locations selected range from the easternmost Dong in Arunachal Pradesh to Longewala in the Thar desert to the west, and the Siachen glacier in the north. The sessions will be conducted in Kanyakumari and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as well.
The Army will also host an event at the Delhi Cantonment, where foreign defence/military attachés have been invited. Army chief General Manoj Pande will be the chief guest.
The Army will also execute yoga outreach in African nations, through troops deployed in United Nations Mission areas.
The Navy’s ‘Ocean Ring of Yoga’ has been organised by the AYUSH Ministry in close cooperation with the Ministry of Defence.
As part of it, Indian ships visited the ports of friendly countries to spread the message of International Yoga Day. The Navy also plans to mark the day through events on foreign ships, involving over 1,200 foreign navy personnel.
