Mysuru: Yoga took Mysuru, the cultural capital of the state by storm on Thursday with more than 60,000 people from all age groups assembling at the Mysuru race course premises from as early as 5 am to stretch out their yoga mats and perform mass yoga session from 7.13 am to 8.16 am, to mark the fourth International Yoga Day. Several politicians including Minister Sa Ra Mahesh, Mysuru BJP MP Pratap Simha, MLAs L Nagendra, S.A. Ramdas, ZP Chairperson Ms Nayeema Sulthan, deputy mayor Indira Mahesh , Mysuru DC Mr Abhiram G Shankar, ADC T Yogesh, JSS Math junior seer Sri Manju Budhdhi and scion of the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru Sri Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar took part in the sessions.
Thirty visually-challenged special kids, over 300 foreigners and VVIP participants performed in the VVIP block of the race course along with former Mysuru DC Mr D Randeep, the man behind Mysuru’s Guinness record breaking mass yoga on Yoga Day last year. Neither the chill in the air nor the early timings could deter any of them with even six year old little Vipanchi Simha, daughter of MP Pratap Simha taking part in the event along with her mother Ms Arpitha Simha. Age was not a deterrent for 63-year-old Nagamma Rajshekar either who arrived alone from Agrahara here and performed yoga wearing a saree.
“It was a wonderful experience to perform among so many people” said, Ms Lucinda, a professor in International health education, from University Allegheny College, Pennsylvania USA, who had learnt Yoga from an Indian teacher in China. Shivakumar, a class 9 student from Vidya Jyothi school came all the way from Vaajamangala village 9 km from Mysuru, along with his father Swamy, a temple priest and performed yoga and so did 20 Tibetan students from Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement in Kollegal taluk.
“It is to thank India for their profound support to us for the past 60 years after we came here as refugees in exile” Settlement secretary Sonam said. The mass yoga session began with a sankalpa (resolution) to maintain Mysuru clean which is now ranked as the cleanest among medium sized cities (with a population between 3 lakh and 10 lakh). It was followed by a prayer, 18 warm-up exercises, 24 yoga postures, five pranayama exercises as per yoga day protocol and culminated in Shanthi mantra.
Tourism minister Sa Ra Mahesh felt that the time spent on yoga is worth it as it helps prevent health problems and maintain physical health and mental peace amidst worldly pressures. Mr Pratap Simha hoped that PM Mr Narendra Modi will be PM again after the 2019 polls and promised to get him to Mysuru for Yoga Day next year. As many as 10,000 participants from different yoga organisations, 16,000 participants from JSS institutions, 10,000 from NSS, 2000 NCC and 2000 Scouts cadets, 16,000 students from various schools, 4000 PU college students, 10,000 students from CBSE ISCE private school management association, 5000 participants from various industries and the general public participated.
