Thousands are expected to roll out their mats and perform asanas at Connaught Place on Tuesday when the second annual International Day of Yoga is observed.
The event, organised by the Union AYUSH Ministry and the New Delhi Municipal Council, will take over the Inner Circle, the radial roads and Central Park of Connaught Place. The ‘common yoga protocol’, a 45-minute set of yoga poses, will be performed by 10,000 people, NDMC secretary Chanchal Yadav said on Saturday.
Volunteers from NGOs, both religious and social, will join officials of the Delhi Police, the NDMC and paramilitary forces to perform yoga. The NDMC has made arrangements for additional mats for walk-ins.
Events at various places
A separate section will be reserved for the general public. Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, Delhi L-G Najeeb Jung and New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi are expected to participate in the event.
Apart from the yoga programme, Ms. Yadav said there will be a performance of “yoga on wheelchairs” by NGO Ability Unlimited; a martial arts demonstration by the Central Industrial Security Force; and cultural show by children with visual impairments; and songs about yoga by NDMC school children. Wrestler Sangram Singh will address the crowd, sharing his experience of yoga.
The NDMC will also be holding yoga events at Lodi Garden, Nehru Park, and Talkatora Garden, which will be open to all.
The NDMC will be promoting yoga throughout the year, offering classes at the gardens six days a week.
Meanwhile, the municipal corporations are also gearing up to celebrate yoga day. The North Delhi Municipal Corporation will hold its programme at Ajmal Khan Park and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s celebrations will be at Khatu Shyam Stadium in Hari Nagar.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will be holding its yoga day celebrations at Sector-11 District Park in Dwarka and at Swarn Jayanti Park in Rohini.
The DDA said: “It is expected that at Dwarka around 2,000 to 5,000 people and at Rohini around 8,000 to 10,000 people will take part.”
All yoga day programmes will be from 7 a.m. to 7.45 a.m., to coincide with the national event in Chandigarh where PM Narendra Modi will be participating.
