Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lauded Yoga's growing global acceptance following India's initiatives and highlighted the country's efforts to promote traditional systems of medicine, including Ayurveda.
He said many countries have adopted Yoga as a sport and family members of the head of states were also practicing it daily.Addressing the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Prashanti Kutiram, the Yoga and research centre run by Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA) here, he said the institution had evolved from an ordinary Yoga centre into a major movement dedicated to service, research, education and healthcare.
Highlighting yoga's international acceptance, PM Modi said India had presented its cultural heritage and traditional knowledge to the world with confidence over the past 12 years, resulting in the global observance of International Yoga Day.
"Yoga has become a gateway for people across the world to understand India," he said. He said yoga had reached schools, institutions and workplaces in several countries, while Saudi Arabia had recognised it as a sporting activity and entered into an agreement with India's Ministry of AYUSH to promote it.
Recalling his interactions with foreign dignitaries and world leaders, Modi said yoga frequently figured in discussions. “Whichever country I go to, people discuss about Yoga with me over lunch and dinner.”Several leaders had told him that their family members were learning and practising yoga.He also referred to the growing interest in yoga among foreign nationals, including members of Qatar's royal family, and said some foreign practitioners had been honoured with the Padma Shri for their contributions.
The Prime Minister said greater global familiarity with yoga was generating interest in India's culture and traditional knowledge and opening new avenues of engagement between India and other countries.
On Ayurveda, he said more than 150 Ayurveda training courses had been recognised in different countries, while India had signed memoranda of understanding with 28 countries to promote cooperation in the sector.He said holistic healthcare had emerged as a global movement, increasing interest in Ayurveda and naturopathy. India had also recognised yoga as a competitive sport, with provisions for its inclusion in events such as Khelo India and the National Games.
Referring to an international yoga competition held recently in Ahmedabad and his visit to Uzbekistan, Modi said yoga was increasingly becoming a subject of global interest and competitive participation was opening new opportunities for those associated with the discipline.
He said the government had established a separate Ministry of AYUSH for the first time and encouraged Ayurveda-related research and patents.Exports of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy) and herbal products were increasing, while the sector had grown into an economy worth several lakh crore rupees, he said.
Citing turmeric as an example, Modi said its demand was rising internationally, given its traditional use in Indian households. The National Turmeric Board had been established to strengthen production, quality and exports, he added.The government had also introduced the e-AYUSH Visa facility to facilitate foreign nationals seeking treatment in India.The World Health Organization's Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar was promoting research and international cooperation in traditional medicine, he said.
Stressing the need to combine ancient knowledge with modern research, the PM said India should ensure that the benefits of its traditional sciences reached humanity while creating opportunities for young people.Referring to the World Bank's latest report, he said nearly 50 crore Indians had come out of extreme poverty over the past 12 to 13 years.
"Our endeavour is to make a healthy lifestyle a priority for every family, and yoga can play a very significant role in achieving this," he said.Describing yoga as a healthcare solution available at zero cost, Modi said it could help people overcome diseases as well as excessive indulgence and attachment to material pleasures.Lauding Prashanti Kutiram, he said, "how an ordinary yoga centre evolved into such a large movement is an inspiration in itself."
He described its 50-year journey as an "extraordinary and unprecedented saga of service and dedication".On the occasion, he digitally laid the foundation stone of the Golden Jubilee Administrative Block and launch the S-VYASA Off-Campus at Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam.
He said Karnataka had been a centre of Yoga for centuries and had produced several acharyas and scholars who enriched the tradition. Referring to the state's cultural heritage, he also recalled Kannada cinema legend, the late Dr Rajkumar and personalities who had served both the arts and yoga.
At the event, PM Modi paid tributes to former RSS general secretary late H V Seshadri on his birth centenary, recalling his contribution to nation-building through individual development.He said Seshadri believed that the country needed dedicated, capable and disciplined citizens to reach the pinnacle of success.
Describing him as a person of exceptional simplicity and humility, Modi said bringing people together and preparing them to serve the nation had been his life's mission.Recalling the contribution of spiritual leaders such as Swami Vivekananda in awakening India's spiritual consciousness and popularising yoga, Modi said institutions like Prashanti Kutiram had drawn inspiration from their teachings.He hailed S-VYASA for popularising Yoga, undertaking scientific research to establish its benefits and training practitioners, teachers, trainers, doctors and researchers.
