The 10th International Day of Yoga (IDY) was marked by the High Commission of India and its cultural arm- Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre at the Galle Face Green yesterday. The theme for 10th edition of IDY ‘Yoga For Self and Society’ was personified by the coming together of hundreds of yoga enthusiasts.
Indian High Commissioner Sri Santosh Jha joined the yoga event with special guests, Education Minister Dr. Susil Premajayantha, Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry, Chief of Staff Navy Rear Admiral Pradeep Rathnayake, Governor of the Central Bank Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe and other senior dignitaries.
The event commenced with invocation of blessings by the Chief Incumbent of Parama Dhamma Chethiya Pirivena in Ratmalana Most Ven. Dr. Maitape Wimalasera Mahanayake Thera. Experts from 25 eminent Yoga institutes of Sri Lanka and India conducted a session of Yoga and meditation. The children from the Mayurapathy Sri Bhadrakali Temple presented an advanced Yoga performance.
The yoga session at Galle Face Green concluded the 10-day Yoga Mahotsav organised by SVCC across the country. This was in addition to the yoga events organised by Consulates in Hambantota and Jaffna, and the Assistant High Commission in Kandy. About 100 Yoga related events were held in the backdrop of iconic locations in the country including at the National Museum, Colombo, Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, Sigiriya, Ravana Falls, Seetha Amman Temple, Delft Island, Gregory Lake, Galle Fort, Jaffna Fort and Dondra lighthouse. The Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Aviation supported the event.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, piloted by India in 2014, proclaiming June 21 each year as the ‘International Day of Yoga’. The resolution was supported by more than 170 countries, with Sri Lanka being one of the co-sponsors of the resolution.
