On International Day of Yoga, Defence Minister exhorts people to practice Yoga regularly to keep body & mind healthy
- Yoga has become a new identity of India due to its growing global popularity, says Mr. Rajnath Singh
- Collective efforts needed to protect the soil & environment for a better future: Mr. Rajnath Singh
New Delhi. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has exhorted the people to practice Yoga regularly as it helps to keep the body and mind healthy. He was virtually addressing a function organised by Isha Foundation of Sadhguru on the occasion of International Day of Yoga on June 21. Throwing light on the benefits of the ancient Indian practice, Defence Minister asserted that Yoga is not merely a good means of attaining physical fitness, but also a way to connect a person with himself by removing restlessness and confusion inherent in worldly existence. He said, the practice helps in controlling thoughts & emotions and training them in a positive direction.
Rajnath Singh stressed that Yoga has touched newer heights of international recognition in the last few years and today it has become a new identity of India under the able guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and through the active cooperation of the people. “Our Prime Minister had, while addressing the UN General Assembly, called upon the international community to celebrate Yoga Day. The adoption of this resolution by UN was certainly a big step towards the welfare of humanity. Yoga gained further recognition worldwide when, on December 01, 2016, it was included by UNESCO in the representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity,” he said.
Defence Minister appreciated that work being done by Sadhguru and the Isha Foundation to teach the people to live happier and more meaningful lives through yoga, besides inspiring them to address environmental problems. “India has been spreading world peace and similar humanistic ideas across many millennia. By giving the message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, India has not only considered the people living within its border as its family, but the people of the whole world as one. Sadhguru, by his work, has certainly brought to life the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ by connecting people from all over the world into one thread for creating a new environmental movement. He is enriching the material world through campaigns like ‘Save Soil’ as well as giving transcendental messages through spirituality,” he stated.
Mr. Rajnath Singh expressed concern over degradation of environment, saying that the ecosystem of earth is built in such a way that the impact in a particular geographical area is not limited to that area only, it encompasses the whole world. “Carbon emission is an example in point. Even if it is happening in one country, it definitely affects all other countries. That is why all the summits, conferences, conventions and agreements regarding global environment protection, whether it is Rio summit, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Climate Change convention, Kyoto protocol or Paris convention, they guide all the countries of the world, in similar way to act in unison. As a responsible nation, India, guided by its tradition and culture, has continuously striven for soil conservation. Soil conservation cannot be done by focusing only on the soil. We have tried to conserve and increase all other components related to it, such as afforestation, wildlife, wetlands, etc. The solution of collective problems will be possible only through collective efforts. Therefore, it is necessary that we all try to protect the soil & environment and move together towards a better world,” he added.
Defence Minister called for finding new technologies in the field of science and make innovations which will keep the eco-friendly values intact. “We should become companions of nature and have a sense of reverence and respect for the living beings as well as the inanimate elements of nature. I have full faith that gradually human civilisation will overcome the environmental problems of our times, and build a happy, prosperous, equitable and sustainable future for all of us,” he stated.
Mr. Rajnath Singh termed the ‘Save Soil’ campaign as a ray of hope as it instills a belief that the people from all over the world, through this campaign, will contribute in maintaining the health of the soil in the times to come. He said, the campaign is not only an effort to protect soil, but to preserve human civilisation and culture.
