PM’s address on International Yoga Day Celebrations in Ranchi, Jharkhand

On stage, Governor Draupadi ji, the Chief Minister, the ministers of the Union and state governments and my dear brothers and sisters of Jharkhand. Best wishes to all of you, to the entire nation and the world on the occasion of International Yoga Day. A very good morning to the countrymen from this ‘ Prabhat Tara Maidan’. Today this ‘Prabhat Tara Maidan’ is glowing on the world map. This honour has been bestowed upon Jharkhand today. Today lakhs of people have gathered in various parts of the country and the world to celebrate Yoga Day. My heartfelt thanks to them. The crucial role played by our media friends and those associated with social media to publicize yoga around the world is extremely essential. I also express my gratitude to them. Friends, Coming to Jharkhand for celebrating Yoga Day in itself is a pleasant experience. I am grateful to you all for coming out of your houses early in the morning from far flung places. Many people have this question in their mind about why did I come to Ranchi in particular for celebrating the fifth Yoga Day. Brothers and sisters, although I have deep attachment with Ranchi, there are three major reasons for me to come to Ranchi today. First- as the name of ‘Jharkhand’ suggests, it is a forested land. It is very close to nature and the harmony between humans and nature gives a completely different feeling to human beings. The second major reason for coming here was that the relationship between Ranchi and healthcare has been recorded in the pages of history. On 23 September last year, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, we launched the Ayushman Bharat Scheme from Ranchi. Today, the world’s largest healthcare scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Arogya Yojana has become the greatest deal for the poor in a very short time. We understand the importance of yoga in making the Indians healthy. Therefore, coming to Ranchi today really holds importance for me. Brothers and Sisters, Now all of us have to carry this Yoga campaign to a different level and this is third and the biggest reason for me to come to Ranchi. Friends, Yoga has always been in our country and has been an integral part of our culture. The ‘Chhau dance’ of Jharkhand also depicts different Asanas and Postures. But it is true that the journey of modern Yoga has not penetrated well to the rural and tribal areas of the country. Now all of us have to carry the journey of modern Yoga from the cities to the villages, forests and remote areas. I have to make Yoga an inseparable part of the lives of the poor and tribal people because it is the poor that suffers the most due to illness. An illness makes the poor even poorer. Thus, at a time, when poverty is declining at a faster rate, Yoga is a crucial medium for those who are coming out of poverty. Embracing Yoga will mean saving them from the clutches of disease and poverty. Friends, Making lives easier just through facilities is not enough. The solutions in the form of medicines and surgery is not enough. In today’s changing times, it is important for us to focus more on wellness along with prevention from the illness. We get the same power through Yoga. Yoga as well as the ancient Indian philosophy share the same spirit. Yoga can not be performed only by doing it for half an hour on the ground, on the floor, or on the mattress; Yoga is a discipline, a dedication, and it has to be performed and observed throughout life. Yoga is beyond any kind of discrimination in terms of age, colour, caste, creed, wealth, poverty, province or boundaries. Yoga is for all and everyone belongs to Yoga. Friends, During the last five years, our government has tried to make Yoga a strong pillar of Preventive Health Care by linking yoga with Health and Wellness. Today we can assert that awareness of yoga in India has reached every segment – from the drawing room to bedroom, from the parks to the sports complex in cities, from the streets to the wellness centers; today Yoga is being experienced everywhere. Brothers and sisters, It gives me immense pleasure and satisfaction when I see that the younger generation is connecting this traditional method with modernity and publicizing it. With the help of innovative and creative ideas of the youth, Yoga has become more popular and lively than before. Friends, on this occasion today, the Prime Minister’s Award for Promotion & Development of Yoga has been announced by our Minister. A jury had decided it and these people have been picked out from around the world after a lot of hard work. I appreciate the dedication of the award winners towards Yoga. Friends, This year’s theme for the International Yoga Day is ‘Yoga for Heart Care’. Heart care has become a challenge for the entire world today. There has been a manifold increase in the number of heart disease cases over the last two -two and a half decades in India. It is really unfortunate that the problem related to heart ailments has increased in the youngsters now. In such a scenario, it is important to make Yoga a part of Prevention and Treatment besides heart care awareness. I will urge the local yoga ashrams here to take further steps in propagating Yoga. I urge Ashrams like Rikhyapeethyog Ashram, Yogda Satsanga Sakha Ashram of Ranchi and other institutes to make arrangements centred around the theme of ‘Heartcare Awareness’. Friends,. With good health, there is a desire of achieving greater heights in life. An exhausted body and a broken mind can neither create dreams nor fulfil the aspirations. When we talk of best health, we need to remember the four ‘Pa’ i.e. Pani, Poshan, Paryawaran and Parishram ( water, nutrition, environment and hard work). There should be clean water, adequate nutrition, clean environment like clean air and also hard work should be made a part of life. Friends, ‘Pa’ will give results. Friends, I thank people across the world for joining the Yoga Day celebrations. World over the first rays of the sun are being welcome by dedicated yoga practitioners is a beautiful sight. I urge you all to embrace yoga and make it an integral part of your daily routine. Yoga is ancient and modern. It is constant and evolving. For centuries the essence of yoga has remained the same- Healthy body, stable mind, spirit of oneness, yoga provides a perfect blend of Gyan or knowledge, Karma or work and Bhakti or devotion. Yoga will make every individual better in thoughts, action and spirit. Friends, the importance of practicing yoga is greater than perhaps ever before. We live in a time when diseases related to lifestyle and stress are increasing. This come with the fast routines and pressures at the work place. It pains me to read about bright young men and women being affected by substance abuse, alcoholism, diabetes and such other evils. Yoga offers a solution for these problems. Yoga also furthers unity among people and in our society. This can heal several challenges, that our world faces. Friends, peace, harmony have also being associated with yoga. On the occasion of the 5th International Yoga Day, let our motto be Yoga for peace, harmony and progress. Brothers and sisters, After International Yoga Day, we have taken several influential steps. We can also see the benefits of the same. Keeping in view the future, we have to work relentlessly to make Yoga the part of every person’s life and habit. The role of Yoga teachers, practitioners and institutions will going to expand for the same. Getting manpower ready and human resource development are necessary for making Yoga a part of the lives of crores of people. This will only be possible if we develop the standards associated with yoga and institutions. And so our government is moving forward with this idea. Friends, Today the world is embracing our Yoga. Hence, we must also focus upon research related to Yoga. Just as the software of our mobile phones keeps getting updated, similarly, we need to update the world with new information on Yoga. Therefore, it is essential that we do not keep Yoga limited. Yoga must be linked with medical, physiotherapy, artificial intelligence. Moreover, we have to encourage the private enterprise spirit associated with yoga; only then, we will be able to expand yoga. Our government is working in various areas, keeping these requirements in mind. I once again wish you good health and my best wishes to you all on the occasion of International Yoga Day. And I hope that all the Asanas that we will be performing here today, keep on increasing the duration of the same gradually. Don’t do it excessively. You will notice the amazing results of the same in your lives. I once again offer my best wishes to you all for the best health, peace, harmony and a well-aligned life. Come, let us begin Yoga now. I also congratulate the Jharkhand government for making such grand arrangements in such a short span of time. They had no idea about it beforehand. Just two weeks ago, after the formation of the government, this idea of holding this grand event in Ranchi came to my mind. But the people of Jharkhand have achieved a great success in such a short time. I congratulate you all and the government for this. Thank you!