Lucknow, 15 June (HS): The Uttar

Pradesh government is planning for a major International Yoga Day celebration

on June 21 with a variety of activities across the state, according to an

official statement published here on Sunday. As in past years, historical and

religious monuments will serve as backdrops for large-scale yoga sessions,

linking yoga to the state's rich legacy and spiritual traditions, according to

the statement. Yoga demonstrations will be given in important locales such as

the Gorakhdham Temple in Gorakhpur, Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, Chakratirth in

Naimisharanya (Sitapur), and Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi. Grand

festivities are planned for Lucknow's Raj Bhavan and Mathura's Prem

Mandir. Yoga sessions will also be held

in historical sites across gram panchayats, blocks, tehsils, and districts. Yoga

Week officially began on June 15, with some district and state-level

initiatives already underway.

Participants have also pledged to include yoga into their daily lives. The

weeklong event will include activities geared at diverse parts of society. Yoga sessions and health check-up camps will

be organized in gram panchayats during 'Ayush Gram Yoga Day,' while schools and

colleges will host competitions in yogasana, poster-making, speaking, essay

writing, quizzes, and rangoli. Yoga classes will also be offered to those with

special needs, inmates, orphanage residents, and slum inhabitants, according to

the announcement.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi