COVID-19: International Day of Yoga to be marked on digital platforms

Team Udayavani, Jun 20, 2020, 3:11 PM IST

New Delhi: With the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic looming large, International Day of Yoga on Sunday will be celebrated on digital media platforms sans mass gatherings and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message would be the highlight of the occasion.

Yoga Day will go digital for the first time since June 21, 2015, when it began to be celebrated annually across the world, coinciding with the Summer Solstice each year. This year’s theme is ‘Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family’ and people will be able to join the celebrations virtually at 7 am on June 21.

The Indian missions abroad are trying to reach out to the people through digital media as well as through the network of institutions which support yoga, officials said.

The Ministry of AYUSH had planned to hold a grand event in Leh but cancelled it due to the pandemic.

On December 11, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21 as ‘International Day of Yoga’, months after Modi had proposed the idea. A message from Prime Minister Modi will be the highlight of the International Day of Yoga which will be observed on electronic and digital platforms on June 21, the AYUSH ministry said on Thursday.

“Due to the current global health emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the focus this year is less on such celebrations and more on people performing Yoga at their respective homes with participation of the entire family,” the ministry said.

The prime minister’s remarks will be televised at 6.30 am, a statement by the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) said.