<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">Indian Embassy in Beijing organized International Day of Yoga (IDY) celebrations at India House which was attended by Indian diaspora, a large number of Chinese yoga enthusiasts and people from other nationalities including diplomats in Beijing. India’s Ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat and Deputy Ambassador Dr. Acquino Vimal took part in the yoga event held at the India House here.</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />”</p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: #222222;">Ambassador Rawat said ‘Covid is time killer and yoga is Covid killer,’ as he highlighted the essentiality of yoga in the pandemic era in dealing with mental anxiety in a world where ‘timelines for many events and projects’ have lost their sanctity. He also outlined the various events conducted by the Embassy ahead of this year’s IDY as well as the digital campaigns that included Asana series, photo and video competitions. To celebrate the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, more than 75 yoga schools across China besides Indian Consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong were also connected online to the Saturday’s event at the India House in Beijing. A number of Chinese yoga teachers from various yoga schools took part in the hour-long yoga session. </span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br />”</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: #222222;">’Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also shared a special message for the Indian Embassy in Beijing on this occasion.'</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br />”</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: #222222;">Indian Yoga Gurus have played instrumental role in popularizing yoga in China</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br />”</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: #222222;">Indian Yoga Guru N K Singh from Manipur conducted the common yoga protoco</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br />”</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;">l to a gathering of more than 500 yoga lovers and those who connected online to inhabit the common consciousness of yoga. Other prominent Indian yoga gurus Ashish Bahuguna and Hemanth also joined the event at India House who have conducted many curtain raiser yoga events organised the embassy in the run up to the 8th IDY. Yoga Gurus Mohan Bhandari and Sohan Singh have also conducted many curtain raiser yoga events.</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br />”</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: #222222;">The International Day of Yoga is celebrated with enthusiasm in China as Yoga was promoted as a sport and fitness regime is very popular, with numerous events since its inception by the United Nations in 2014. Indian yoga gurus have played instrumental role in promoting the concept of ‘complete yoga’ – the Indian heritage to the masses in China.</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br />”</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: #222222;">Another big event will be held by Indian Consulate in Guangzhou to celebrate the International Yoga Day (IYD) celebrations on June 21. Indian Consulate in Shanghai will also hold another big mass yoga event on 26th June. Yoga associations all over China were expected to hold the events to mark the IYD on June 21.</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br />”</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: #222222;">A special highlight of the Saturday’s event was the stainless-steel sculpture of ‘Dream Yoga’ crafted by Beijing-based Indian artist Gurjinder Kaur representing the artist’s childhood reminiscence of yoga, which was kept amidst the yoga gathering at the India House. Considering the popularity of yoga, China has established a yoga college in Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming, the capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province in joint collaboration with India.</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br />”</span></p>”<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: #222222;">Last month the Indian Embassy organised an ‘Office Yoga’ session at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, (SCO) headquarters in Beijing. SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and Ambassador Rawat along with SCO diplomats attended the specially designed session on Yoga postures for office goers. Many other yoga events have bene organized for diplomatic corps in Beijing and a special yoga session on Mother’s Day.</span></p>