Speech at Fifth International Day of Yoga at Salalah

Esteemed Guests, (Names to be received)

Ladies & Gentlemen,

          I am delighted to be here with you all for the celebration of 5th International Day of Yoga.

          At the outset, I would like to thank the Indian Social Club in Salalah for organizing this celebration of International Day of Yoga in Salalah on behalf of Embassy of India.  I also thank other organizations which are supporting today’s celebration such as Oman Olympic Committee,  Art of Living Foundation, Sanskriti Wing of Indian Social Club and Yoga forum.   I must say that Indian Social Club in Salalah has been very active and has been supporting the Embassy very well in various cultural and social activities.  Its support to the Indian community in Dhofar is well appreciated.  Since the Embassy is located far off from Salalah, the Indian Social Club assumes significant role in the welfare of Indian community here.

          This is my first International Day of Yoga in Oman and I am very pleased to see that the IDY is celebrated in Oman with so much of enthusiasm and in all important cities like Muscat, Sohar, Sur, Nizwa, and Salalah.  As most of you would be aware, in Muscat we had a mega celebration in the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre yesterday where more than 6000 people participated, which was a record participation as far as  Oman is concerned.  It could possibly also be the largest gathering performing yoga under one roof outside India. The participants  includedsenior Omani Government officials, members of the diplomatic corp, prominent Indian and Omani personalities as well as expatriates of more than 25 countries based in Oman.   The Embassy of India was ably supported by a number of yoga organizations, Indian Social Club and its linguistic wings, Indian schools as well as Oman Olympics Committee. 

          I would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and the Government of Oman for their support for holding the events to celebrate the International Day of Yoga every year. In  Muscat, the Government of Oman was represented by H.E. Mr. Mohammed bin Yousef Al Zarafi, Undersecretary for Administration and Finance Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.    In fact,  I must inform you that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent a personal letter to His Majesty thanking him for this support. Let us pray for long and healthy life of His Majesty who has been instrumental in

          As you all may know, the science of Yoga has its origin going back to thousands of years,even before the first religion or belief systems were born. It is an ancient heritage of India. Today, Yoga has spread all over the world. Its health and spiritual benefits are well recognized. Declaration of 21st June as International Day of Yoga by the UN General Assembly in 2014 was a unanimous decision, sponsored by a record number of 177 countries, including the Sultanate of Oman.

          This year, the International Day of Yoga is being celebrated in more than 180 countries. It is a proud moment for all Indians as their civilizational heritage is being shared with world. Yoga has become immensely popular in Oman as reflected in the existence of a large number of yoga organizations in Oman, which have been successful in creating awareness about the benefits of Yoga among Indians, Omani citizens as well as expatriates.

I would like to encourage you to continue practicing yoga in your daily life.  Before concluding, I thankIndian Social Club once again for organizing this celebration and thank you all for your participation tonight. I wish you all a long, healthy and happy life.