6th International Day of Yoga observed at IIT Bhubaneswar

21st June, 2020, Bhubaneswar: The 6th International Day of Yoga was observed on 21st June 2020 ( Sunday) at IIT Bhubaneswar with great enthusiasm and vigour. It was a three day program which commenced from 19th June, 2020 at the permanent Campus. Mr. Arul Dev, An Author, Radiant Universal Leader Coach and Integral Educator and a guest faculty at IIT Madras was the Chief Guest of the event and joined the yoga session through online medium. Prof. R.V. Raja Kumar, Director, IIT Bhubaneswar with students, faculty, officers, staff and their family members actively participated in the event. The theme for this year's International Yoga Day is ‘Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family'.

The participants, and Yoga teachers assembled for the practice session at the Community Centre by adhering to social distancing protocols and compulsory wearing of masks. The entire event was live streamed through Microsoft teams, many students participated from their hostels. Also many students participated from their home from different states through online medium. Mr. Arul Dev, Chief Guest gave an interesting spiritual talk on “Inner Yoga - to be calm, creative and joyful” in day to day lives.

Prof. R.V. Raja Kumar addressed the gathering and reminded about the benefits of practicing yoga in everyday life and highlighted the potential and benefits of customization to suit every individual. He also shared his experience and wisdom about his decade’s long Yoga practice. He stressed on the fact that owing to unprecedented times, the significance of yoga in such a pandemic situation is of a huge impact. This is the time for all of us to look inwards and find our inner strength by practise of yoga in order to combat the crisis the world is going through today. He emphasized that yoga brings healthy rhythm in body and mind including thinking and explained how the daily practice perpetually benefits to reduce stress at work for a healthy body and mind. He mentioned that at IIT Bhubaneswar, Yoga has been made a compulsory part of the undergraduate program. Thus, Yoga is an inexpensive way to boost your immunity and for holistic healing, a concept that India has taken to the globe. He commended the remarkable efforts by the Honourable Prime Minister of India for popularizing the concept of Yoga across the globe by proposing the concept of International Yoga Day during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, on 27th September 2014.

The programme was coordinated by Dr. Srikant Golapudi and Dr. Bankim Chandra Mandal, EAA Coordinator. Also present at the event were Dr. Sankarsan Mohapatro, President Student Gymkhana, IIT Bhubaneswar and Col (Dr.) Subodh Kumar, Registrar, IIT Bhubaneswar. The Yoga session started with the systematic practice of different “ASANAS” of standing, sitting and laying positions (both lying on back and reverse) smoothly changing in succession under the instructions of Yoga teacher and supervision of trained volunteers. The entire “Yogabhyas” lasted for an hour and ended with oath by all the participants that they will continue to practice Yoga for keeping their body and mind in healthy, stress-free and cheerful condition. The session ended with the vote of thanks.