Roughly 15,000 people have registered for the 4th International Day of Yoga (IDY) event at Rajpath, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said on Wednesday.
The event is scheduled to be held on the ceremonial boulevard at dawn on Thursday. The NDMC will also be organising similar events at Lodhi Garden, Nehru Park and Talkatora Garden.
Talking about the event at Rajpath, an NDMC spokesperson said: “Visitors have registered under different affiliated organisations such as the Art of Living and Patanjali Yoga Samiti. However, this should not deter those who did not enrol earlier to join the congregation. The council has set aside a separate allotment for the non-registered people and volunteers who wish to participate.”
The official said that the NDMC will host the Rajpath event in coordination with various other organisations, NGOs and yoga gurus, who will hold camps and practice sessions.
The sessions will start at 6 a.m. and the hour-long event will be preceded by several cultural performances, the official said. Union Minister Harsh Vardhan will be the chief guest while MP Meenakshi Lekhi will be the special guest.
Rajpath to be closed
On Wednesday, a section of the Rajpath, between Rafi Marg and Janpath, was closed off for the preparation of the event.
The area will be closed for over two hours during the programme. The stretch is set to resume daily activities by 7.30 a.m.
As a part of the security arrangements, metal detector frames have been installed at the marked entrances on the lawns on either sides of the street.
The NDMC has also arranged for medical aid, drinking water, and merchandise stalls. Help desks will also be available for the attendees, the official said.
This year, the national event for IDY will be held at Dehradun’s Forest Research Institute where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to participate.
The United Nations declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga in 2014. The event was first celebrated in India at Rajpath in 2015 and was convened by the Prime Minister, who performed yoga along with over 37,000 people.
