Speech at Fifth International Day of Yoga

Your Excellency Mohammed bin Yousef Al Zarafi, Under Secretary for Administration and Finance Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

Esteemed Guests of Honour,

Ladies & Gentlemen,

          I am delighted to see you all assembled here in such large numbers for the celebration of 5th International Day of Yoga. On behalf of Government of India and the Embassy of India in Oman,I extend a very warm welcome to you all. 

          This is my first International Day of Yoga in Oman and I am very excited, rather thrilled, to participate in this mega celebration.  I was told that last year, around 5000 people participated in this event but it seems to methat gathering this year is even larger. And this is not the only event in the country. International Day of Yoga is being celebrated throughout Oman - in Sohar, Sur, Nizwa, Salalah, and so on.

          I would like to express our sincere gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and the Government of Oman for their support for holding this grand event. In fact  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a personal letter to His Majesty thanking him for this support. We also deeply appreciate His Majesty’skindness towardsthe Indian community in Oman and for allowing the Indian community to organize social and cultural events. We pray for his long and healthy life.

          I would also like to thank His Excellency Mohammed bin Yousef Al Zarafi for gracing today’s occasion as Chief Guest.  He has personally been a pillar of support to us for the celebration of International Day of Yoga every year.  I request you all to join me in conveying our gratitude to him by giving a big round of applause.

          I also thank all our Guests of Honour for taking time out of their busy schedules to join us today. Your presence makes the celebration a very special one. 

          Dear friends, as most of you 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 today’s gathering. Numerous Yoga organizations as well as Yoga teachers and practitioners have been successful in creating awareness about the benefits of Yoga among Indians, Omani citizens as well as expatriates. I would like to thank all yoga organizations and yoga practitioners who have joined hands with the Embassy of India in organizing this grand celebration. I also extend our special thanks to Oman Olympic Committee and the Indian Social Club and its linguistic wings for their support for organizing this celebration. Of course, an event of this magnitude cannot be held without active support of corporate world and we are grateful to all our sponsors for their support.

          We have received messages of greetings on this special occasion from a number of dignitaries from all walks of life including my fellow Ambassadors, many of whom are with us today. We have done a short compilation of these messages which we will be showing now. We express our thanks to all those who have sent their good wishes for this event.

          Before concluding, I once again thank our Chief Guest and Guests of Honour for their gracious presence this evening and thank you all for your participation tonight. I wish you all a long, healthy and happy life.