The real reason why PM Modi chose Ranchi for Yoga Day celebrations

Yoga is not only a physical exercise or Asana but it also the key to a healthy life. It is the priceless gift of Indian culture, which has been a part of the lifestyle of Indians for thousands of years.

Today is the 5th International Day of Yoga and PM Modi decided to celebrate it Ranchi, Jharkhand, which is hosting the main event. Addressing the crowd of 40,000 people who gathered at the Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi, PM Modi emphasized the need and importance of Yoga in the society and appealed to the people to take Yoga to all sections of the society. 

The official handle of Prime Minister’s Office PMO India tweeted, “Yoga is ancient and modern. It is constant and evolving. For centuries, the essence of Yoga has remained the same: Healthy body, Stable mind, Spirit of oneness. Yoga provides a perfect blend of ज्ञान or knowledge, कर्म or work and भक्ति or devotion: PM”.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, “Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help in well being.” PM Modi had also proposed the idea of International Day of Yoga to the member nations. He had said, “Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.”

When India introduced the draft resolution at the UNGA, a total of 177 nations co-sponsored the resolution, which is the highest number of co-sponsors ever for any UNGA resolution of such nature. Thus the 21st of July, as proposed by PM Modi, was marked as International Day of Yoga on the UN’s calendar. June 21 is the longest day of the year and has spiritual significance in many parts of the world.

Indeed, PM Modi is passionate about Yoga and believes strongly in the spiritual exercise and has left no stone unturned in promoting Yoga to people from all sects of life, be it the poor or the middle class and from all faiths as Yoga transcends religion and is purely meant for good health and peace of mind. Promoting a healthy India has been one of the very admirable focus points of PM Modi. Upliftment of the poor and Adivasis is another goal that the Modi government has a strong focus on and therefore choosing Ranchi this year seems valid.

The poor Adivasis suffer the most due to illness and thus PM Modi wants Yoga to reach every Adivasi household. “Now, I have to take the journey of modern yoga from the cities to the villages, to the poor and tribal’s house. I have to make yoga an integral part of the life of poor and tribal. Because it is poor who gets the most pain due to illness,” said, PM Modi.

With this effort, PM Modi wants Yoga to be an integral part of the life of the poor and tribals. Taking Yoga from cities to villages and assisting the poor in making it an integral part of their lives shall go a long way in their upliftment and well-being. At the same time, the PM Modi said that Ranchi is close to nature, and that is also the reason he decided to celebrate Yoga Day here.

It is noteworthy that despite the efforts of the state government, the tribal population of Jharkhand is living below the poverty line. According to a report in the year 2018, the tribal population is among the most deprived population in the country. However, in the last few years, the number of poor has decreased but poverty has not yet been completely reduced despite Jharkhand having made the fastest moves towards reducing poverty. Now by connecting the people of Ranchi with Yoga, PM Modi is encouraging them for a healthy life, keeping politics aside.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das and other ministers were also present in the event.

It is important to note that Ayushman Bharat, a noble health insurance scheme for 10 crore poor families in India, was also launched from Ranchi in September last year. One of the main reasons for choosing this place was to promote the empowerment of the poor.