Enthusiasts who came to perform yoga during the International Day of Yoga programme organised by the Dakshina Kannada district administration here had to wait on Friday.
This was owing to the late arrival of D. Vedavyasa Kamath, MLA, Mangaluru City South, and Y. Bharath Shetty, MLA, Mangaluru City North.
The session should have started in the mini-Town Hall at 8 a.m. Enthusiasts began arriving at the venue from 7 a.m. and it was full by 7.30 a.m. Among those who arrived early included personnel from the Karnataka State Reserve Police, the Home Guards, students from AYUSH Colleges, and members of the Patanjali Yoga Partistana.
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Yoga teacher Gopalakrishna Delampady was ready at the venue with his students and trainees by 7.30 a.m. But officials continued to wait for Mr. Kamath and Mr. Shetty without commencing the programme.
The MLAs came to the venue only around 8.45 a.m. The officials then had an elaborate inaugural function that went on till 9.15 a.m.
Mr. Delampady began the yoga session as Mr. Kamath was talking to media channels in the hall.
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The delayed start had its effect with several enthusiasts leaving the venue as Mr. Delampady began the session. Mr. Delampady had to cut short the yoga session.
Later Mr. Kamath told The Hindu that he could not make it to the programme on time as he had to attend three yoga sessions earlier.
An officer said they had wait for the two MLAs as there was no instructions to go ahead with the session in their absence.
“I did ask them to go ahead with yoga session instead of a formal inauguration programme, but the organisers didn’t hear,” said Kasturi Panja, vice-president of the zilla panchayat, who was among the earliest to come to the venue. “We cannot make changes to the way it’s conducted,” an official said.