Visakhapatnam: Army of officials, employees, volunteers, students take part in yoga demos

Visakhapatnam: Marking the ninth International Day of Yoga (IDY) celebrated here on Wednesday, officials from the district administration, Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation and various other departments along with employees from different organisations, students and volunteers took part in programmes that highlighted the significance of embracing the ancient practice into day-to-day life.

At Swarnabharathi Indoor Stadium, District Collector A Mallikarjuna, Deputy Collector KS Viswanathan, Mayor G Hari Venkata Kumari, Municipal Commissioner CM Saikanth Varma, among others, practiced asanas. A number of NGO representatives joined the session that focus on making yoga an integral part of life.

Andhra University celebrated the day at its Gymnasium grounds. The mass yoga session here was attended by District Collector A Mallikarjuna, Vice Chancellor of the varsity PVGD Prasad Reddy, Registrar V Krishna Mohan, DEO Chandrakala along with other officials and students.

Under the guidance of ECoRWWO president Parijata Satpathy and Divisional Railway Manager of Waltair Anup Satpathy, yoga demonstrations were held at East Coast Railway Sports Arena. Addressing the gathering, the DRM advocated adopting a healthy lifestyle by practicing the ancient art that enhances physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Later, Parijata Satpathy presented various asanas and explained the importance of them.

The IDY celebrations was organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, represented by Visakhapatnam Port Authority and Ayush Department at Visakha Container Terminal Private Ltd. (VCTPL) and at Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Attending as chief guest, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and External Affairs V Muraleedharan informed that this year the Centre organised ‘IDY-2023’ focusing on the theme ‘yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. He recalled that it was a proud movement for the Indians as Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the yoga session at United Nations Headquarters in New York, where majority of the member-countries of the UN participated. Addressing the gathering, Chairperson of VPA M. Angamuthu informed that yoga leads to a healthy and disease-free life. Terminal Head of VCTPL Captain Sudeep Banerjee also attended. RINL celebrated the day at CK Naidu indoor stadium with a yoga session. Inaugurating the yoga session, director (Personnel) of RINL SC Pandey highlighted the need for everyone to practice yoga daily to keep themselves fit physically and mentally and lead a healthier life. CGM (M&HS), HOD Medical, VSGH KH Prakash, several senior officials, school children, employees and their family members participated. A group of youngsters from Ukkunagaram township demonstrated yoga asanas. In his message, RINL CMD Atul Bhatt urged everyone to make yoga a part of routine.

On the occasion of the IDY, employees of NTPC Simhadri demonstrated asanas at the company’s Samyukta hall. Led by a yoga guru, the event saw a huge participation that emphasised on the theme ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and promoted ‘har aangan yog, ’the importance of yoga in each household. The event saw participation of SK Sinha, Head of Project, Simhadri, B Ramarao chief general manager, VPG, S Govindarajan, chief general manager, CPG-3, DP Patra, GM, Operations and maintenance, among others.

Joining the mass demonstration, GITAM Professors and students participated in large numbers. Its Vice Chancellor Dayandanda Siddavattam led students, faculty members and staff to participate in the demos. He said yoga dates back to eons and passed on from the ancestors.

Yoga centres, including Aum Free Yoga Centre, organised mass yoga demonstrations at various places across the city. Utilising the platform, they came forward to promote yoga as a holistic wellness regimen among people and build awareness about how the ancient practice serves as an effective tool to connect mind, body and soul.