Minister in charge of Mysuru district S.T. Somashekar on Wednesday said the 8 th edition of International Day of Yoga that was celebrated on Tuesday at the palace here with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the celebrations has been a huge success and thanked everyone who made it “memorable” and “successful”.
“It was an unforgettable yoga demonstration with the presence of the Prime Minister. The Yoga Day was observed on the theme ‘Yoga for Humanity.’ Mr Modi’s participation has renewed interest in yoga among a large number of people who turned up to perform asanas. Mr Modi inspired scores of people with his yoga. A total of 15,000 took part in the demonstration,” he told reporters here.
Mr. Somashekar said 15,000 yoga mats had been arranged for the show. Yoga enthusiasts from Bengaluru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar and other districts too had registered for the event and many took part. Learners from Morarji Desai Institute of Yoga, Delhi, also took part.
Mysuru was part of the novel programme ‘Guardian Yoga Ring’.
People from all walks of life - persons with disabilities, transgenders, pourakarmikas and teachers - joined Mr. Modi in the celebrations, he added.
As many as 140 KSRTC buses were pressed into service to bring yoga enthusiasts from across the city.
A total of 10 lakh square feet of space consisting of 17 blocks was created at the palace to facilitate yoga demonstration. “We had space for 17,000 participants.”
All elected representatives supported the government in putting up a successful show, he added.
The Minister spoke about Mr. Modi’s rally at the Maharaja College grounds and especially the PM’s interaction with the beneficiaries of various Central government schemes.
The officials from various departments worked really hard to make arrangements ahead of the PM’s visit and the events that were scheduled in Mysuru during his visit. “I specially thank the media as their coverage in the run-up to the Yoga Day event helped in making it most successful. The support and cooperation extended by the people of Mysuru was unforgettable.”
He said the Centre of Excellence at the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH) in Mysuru was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the CoE consists of 11 centres, including clinical centres, research centres and outreach centers, catering to the needs of persons with communication disorders.
The four-storey building with a plinth area of 2,71,249 square feet houses state-of-the-art facilities, serving the needs of speech and hearing impaired under one premise. It has been funded by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the CoE has come up at a cost of ₹155.49 crore.
The PM also laid the foundation stone for a new coaching complex at Naganahalli and Mysuru and the project costs ₹ 488 crore. The works comprises three passenger platforms, four pit lines, 300-metre skywalk and one pedestrian subway connecting new platforms.
On the occasion, the Minister felicitated senior officials for making successful arrangements for the PM’s visit.
Pratap Simha, MP, S.A. Ramdas, MLA, and others were present.
