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Ambassador's speech on the celebration of the 8th International Day of Yoga

Posted on: June 21, 2022 | Back | Print

Speech by Ambassador at the Celebration of the 8th International Day of Yoga, 

21 June 2022 at University of Antananarivo


Your Excellency Mr. Prof. RAVELOMANANA Raoul Mamy, President of the University of Antananarivo, distinguished guests and dear friends,

I am immensely pleased to welcome you on the occasion of the celebration of the 8th International Day of Yoga in Antananarivo after a gap of two years.

For past two years, the world is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic that has increased stress and anxiety among the people. While the world is slowly getting out of the crisis, there is a wide-spread concern over the pandemic’s impact on people’s physical and mental health. Yoga, a 5,000-year-old tradition from India, can play a critical role in getting our lives back on track. It combines physical, mental and spiritual pursuits to achieve harmony of the body and mind. 

Today, we are celebrating the 8th edition of International Day of Yoga with the theme “Yoga for Humanity” for creating mass awareness regarding the Health Benefits of Yoga for the people. On December 11 in 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21st as the International Day of Yoga. As an avid practitioner of Yoga myself, I believe that practicing Yoga everyday can bring balance, tranquility and joy in our lives. 

As our Prime Minister has said in his message:

“In a world beset by various challenges, over a billion people see Yoga as an enhancer of their physical, mental, spiritual and intellectual wellbeing. The beauty of Yoga lies in its simplicity. All it requires is some time and a little space. In this day and age, where fast paced lifestyles and packed routines are the norm, Yoga assures inner peace and tranquility. The rise in lifestyle-related, non-communicable diseases has also drawn many people to Yoga. 

Over the last two years, our planet has valiantly fought a once-in-a-century pandemic in the form of COVID-19. Among the many learnings from the last two years is the critical importance of remaining fit and boosting one’s natural immunity. Here again, Yoga has a key role to play.”

As India is celebrating 75 years of its Independence under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and 62 years of diplomatic relations between India and Madagascar, it is my pleasure to inform you all that the Embassy has taken steps to make Yoga accessible to the people of Madagascar by starting free Yoga classes at its premises. For the first time, free classes are being conducted from Monday to Friday from 4 pm to 5 pm by the Yoga instructor who has come from India. All of you are welcome to take part in the classes so that Yoga becomes an integral part of our lives.

Let us pledge to spread this message of peace and well-being of the humanity to the entire world through the practice of yoga.

I thank Mr. President for his gracious presence and for giving permission to use this beautiful University for hosting the 8th IDY celebration. And most importantly I thank you all for joining us in this celebration.

Thank you.