NEW YORK: After launching the ‘Make in India’ mantra in high style back home, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unleashed the country’s soft power at the UN as he exhorted the world community to observe an International Yoga Day, which he eloquently described as “India’s gift to the world.”
In his maiden speech at the UN General Assembly, which marked the 61-year-old leader’s metamorphosis into a world statesman, Mr Modi interspersed his robust pitch for reforms of the UN Security Council with a philosophical spin on organic connections between climate change and yoga, which he grounded in the spiritual concepts of harmony between man and nature.
Rooting for a change of lifestyle, and by extension thought style, the prime minister spoke about the vanishing trees and forests, birds and animals, clean rivers and lakes and blue skies and reminded the world community that “respect for nature is an integral part of India’s spiritualism.” “Yoga is an invaluable gift of our ancient tradition. Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well being,” he said in New York September 27.
Mr Modi, an avid yoga practitioner who is subsisting on liquid diet during his five-day visit to the US which has coincided with the Navratra festival back home stressed that yoga “is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature.”
“By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day,” he said.
The idea of the international Yoga Day struck a chord with the world community, specially among the leaders of South Asia countries. Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa became the first leader to convey his support for this pioneering proposal when the two leaders held talks on the margins of the UNGA. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushil Kumar Koirala also expressed appreciation for the proposal. India is hoping that the resolution on observing the International Yoga Day would be adopted in the 69th session of the UNGA.
Mr Modi, the first Indian prime minister born after the country’ independene, is known to practice yoga daily, which he has said helps him to synchronize the heart, mind, and body.
Mr Modi’s call for a special yoga day is also set to strike a chord in the US which has experienced a growing popularity of yoga cutting across all sections and all age groups. New York is known for its love of yoga, with yoga sessions being held from time to time at Times Square, the heart of Manhattan and Central Park.
Yoga’s emergence as a global brand and the most visible symbol of India’s soft power is a work in progress. Celebrities around the world, including Hollywood stars, have taken to yoga in a big, giving a sheen of glamour to the ancient Indian practice.
Author Profile
- Manish Chand is Founder-CEO and Editor-in-Chief of India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) and India and World, a pioneering magazine focused on international affairs. He is CEO/Director of TGII Media Private Limited, an India-based media, publishing, research and consultancy company.
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