Ocean Ring of Yoga and Indian Armed Forces' big plans for Yoga Day

It’s International Yoga Day and the entire world is celebrating it by bending and twisting themselves into various yoga asanas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, perhaps, the biggest ambassador of the practice, will be at the United Nations headquarters in New York, leading the celebrations.

In India, the day assumes even more significance and from north to south and east to west, people from all walks of life join in for the celebrations. The Indian Armed Forces also celebrates this day with much gusto and enthusiasm, with all the branches – Army, Navy and Air Force – joining in.

This year, the Indian Navy has decided to go all out and even form an ‘Ocean Ring of Yoga’ and will spread the message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, the yoga day theme this year.

What exactly is this ‘Ocean Ring of Yoga’? How are the Armed Forces celebrating this momentous day? Here’s what we know?

Navy’s Ocean Ring of Yoga

This year, the Indian Navy has decided to form the Ocean Ring of Yoga, under which 19 ships are going to be deployed across the Indian Ocean region. The Indian Navy said that of the 19 ships, 11 will be deployed at international ports to spread the message of yoga.

The foreign ports that have been selected are Chattogram in Bangladesh, Safaga in Egypt, Jakarta in Indonesia, Mombasa, in Kenya, Toamasina in Madagascar, Muscat in Oman, Colombo in Sri Lanka, Phuket in Thailand and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The ships being deployed are Kiltan, Chennai, Shivalik, Sunayna, Trishul, Tarkash, Vagir, Sumitra, and Brahmaputra, respectively.

The Indian Navy said that for the Ocean Ring of Yoga that nearly 3,500 naval personnel have travelled an extensive 35,000 kilometres and will act as ambassadors of yoga in both national and international waters. The personnel will conduct different yoga sessions on board, in order to spread the importance of practising yoga.

Additionally, Yoga Day celebrations are also being are also being carried out on board ships of several foreign navies in collaboration with India’s overseas missions, involving more than 1,200 foreign Navy personnel.

Raksha Mantri’s yoga day

Apart from the Indian Navy’s Ocean Ring of Yoga, other branches of the Armed Forces are also celebrating the day, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh taking the lead.

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh performed yoga on board INS Vikrant, India;s first indigenously built aircraft carrier, alongside hundreds of Navy personnel. The defence minister performed different asanas for nearly an hour and joined personnel in their performance and led the celebrations on board the sprawling aircraft carrier.

#WATCH | Kochi, Kerala: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar performs Yoga on board INS Vikrant on #9thInternationalYogaDay. pic.twitter.com/KsaYZyptiz

— ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2023

Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and other senior officers of the Navy and the Ministry of Defence were also present during the event.

Speaking at the event, Rajnath Singh said: “It is a matter of pride for India that the International Day of Yoga is being celebrated all over the world today and shows that our rich culture and heritage is being acknowledged and adopted globally.”

Singh said that while yoga was acknowledged by the United Nations nine years ago only, it was being followed and practised in various parts of the world, including India, for centuries.

Indian Army’s Bharatmala

The Indian Army is also joining in on the Yoga Day celebrations and will form a ‘Bharatmala’ by organising yoga activities at over 106 locations situated along the Pakistan border and the Line of Actual Control along the Chinese border.

The locations chosen for this are Dong in Arunachal Pradesh to Longewala in the Thar desert to the west, the Siachen glacier in the north. Sessions will also be conducted in Kanyakumari and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as well.

#WATCH | Indian Army personnel perform Yoga at Pangong Tso, Ladakh, to mark the #9thInternationalYogaDay.

(Video Source: Indian Army) pic.twitter.com/HQRxo8mHdA

— ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2023

At Delhi Cantonment, Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande also participated in Yoga Day celebrations along with other senior officials.

The Army is also executing yoga outreach in African nations, through troops deployed in United Nations Mission areas.

#WATCH | Kerala: Indian Army personnel perform underwater Yoga in Thiruvananthapuram to mark the #9thInternationalYogaDay.

(Video Source: Indian Army) pic.twitter.com/fHQPkJHro6

— ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2023

IAF’s mega event

According to a News18 report, the Indian Air Force has also planned Yoga Day celebrations across the country at different air force stations.

“It’s an important day for the whole world. Indian Air Force is a very big part of the occasion. Our chief will be a part of celebrations at the air force station in New Delhi and along with him hundreds of personnel from the service will perform yoga throughout the country,” a senior official was quoted as saying.

With inputs from agencies

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