In what comes as a matter of surprise, the JD(U) has reportedly snubbed International Yoga day celebrations. While the country prepared for the day with palpable enthusiasm and actively celebrated the International Yoga day, the ‘secular’ forces within the country tried their best to cause detractions. It is disturbing how the JD(U) decided to follow the bizarre logic propagated by the pseudo-seculars within India who view yoga with prejudice and hatred. JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar stated, “Yoga is a personal choice of people. It is their private decision to do yoga or not. I also do yoga at my residence daily and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar too does yoga. But we never display it in public”. He tried to put across the message that yoga should not be celebrated publicly, but failed to explain this absurd argument.
Yoga is seen as something intrinsically beneficial not only in India but throughout the world. This is the reason why the resolution relating to declaration of June 21 as the International Yoga day had been co-sponsored at the United Nations by 177 countries which is a record in itself. In fact, yoga is not only seen as an enlightening practice around the glove but has also been adopted by citizens of the country which were once alien to the ancient Indian practice. This explains why International Yoga day was celebrated with intense passion and enthusiasm in every nook and corner of the world. Even the west has not only embraced it but they are also inculcating it as a habit. This year Amsterdam, Brussels and Glasgow witnessed massive yoga day celebrations.
The world has realised that yoga is indispensable for achieving the highest form of sound human health. There is no other exercise known to the human species that is as complete and holistic as yoga. This ancient Indian knowledge base not only helps in improving the physical well being but also paves the way towards ensuring mental peace and spiritual well-being. Its rejuvenating characteristics and capabilities have been accepted as critical for achieving the long-term objective of improving global health. Yoga is no longer just a Indian practice but an internationally accepted way of living in the healthiest manner.
While the world has embraced this practice, the entire world still looks at India to systematically lead the world in the direction of yoga. The ability to know the inner self and to achieve the highest level of spiritual peace is ubiquitous to India. What India has achieved with the help of yoga is something the rest of the world could not even think of. India has extensively explored the mechanics of human functioning and now it is our duty to not only preserve this precious knowledge but also to introduce the rest of the world to this knowledge base. It is a proud moment for India as to how the entire world is looking at us with great hope. However, unfortunately some ‘intellectuals’ within India can’t get over their bigoted and prejudicial opinions about yoga. They are adamant about reducing yoga to a mere religious practice whereas yoga is all pervasive and an ancient cultural practice not restricted to any particular religion. When the whole world including the most democratic and secular of countries are embracing yoga without any hesitation, one can only wonder as to why there is a dispute between yoga and secularism only in India. However, this was not expected from the JD(U) which has recently dumped a ‘secular’ Lalu. It seems that even though JD(U) has dumped Lalu but did not dump his hateful ideology.
JD(U) should realise that it cannot espouse two ideologies at one time. When it left behind the RJ(D), it should have also left what Lalu’s RJ(D) and the entire leftist cabal represents. When Nitish Kumar snubbed the anti-Modi brigade, he should have made sure that he and his party supports Prime Minister Modi on fundamental issues. One hopes that this is a mere aberration and Nitish Kumar and his party strongly aligns with the BJP on all major issues.