The High Commission of India and Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), the cultural arm of the High Commission, in collaboration with various yoga institutes organised a yoga event at the iconic Independence Square in Colombo to mark the 9th International Day of Yoga (IDY) yesterday.
The event saw the participation of nearly a thousand people including the special invitees: Dr. Susil Premajayantha, Minister of Education; Dr. Bandula Gunawardena, Minister of Transport & Highways and Mass Media; Ali Sabry, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Sisira Jayakody, State Minister of Indigenous Medicine, A. Aravindh Kumar, State Minister of Education, Dr. Suren Raghavan, State Minister of Higher Education. High Commissioner of India, Gopal Baglay, officials and staff of the High Commission, students, police personnel, members of the Indian community and yoga enthusiasts in Sri Lanka also participated. The event was organised in partnership with Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka with hundreds of traditional medicine doctors and the practitioners joining the programme.
The event at Independence Square commenced with prayers by the Chief Priest of the Parama Dhamma Chethiya Pirivena in Ratmalana, Most Ven. Dr. Maitipe Wimalasera Thero, invoking the blessings of the Buddha for humanity’s overall well-being.
The highlight of the program was a 20-minutes long Yoga and Meditation Session for the participants conducted by experts from 25 eminent Yoga institutes of Sri Lanka.
In the run-up to International Day of Yoga 2023, SVCC in collaboration with government institutions, yoga organisations and local partners, organised over 90 Yoga events, workshops, lectures and demonstrations for different age-groups and professions across the island. IDY 2023 celebrations at Independence Square in Colombo formed a part of the special feature of IDY 2023 that brings together countries from ‘Arctic to Antarctic’, connecting them through the practice of yoga.
High Commission of India will also organise another yoga event at the Port of Colombo on June 21, 2023, thereby joining the ‘Global Ocean Ring’ as a unique initiative marking IDY 2023. This year’s IDY celebrations resonate with the theme of India’s ongoing Presidency of the G20, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’.