Yoga lovers, seekers, devotees and pilgrims from across India and around the world join in the Yoga Capital of the World – Rishikesh – at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram for the 96th Day of the 100 Day countdown to Yoga Day, in collaboration with the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India and Morariji Desai Institute of Yoga
INVC NEWS
Rishikesh,
Yoga lovers, seekers, devotees and pilgrims from across India and around the world, including from Brazil, France, Israel, New Zealand, Netherlands, Nepal, Trinidad & Tobago, United States, Mexico, and many others, joined for a special event on Holi and Holika Dahan as part of the 100 day countdown to International Yoga Day event, organised by Parmarth Niketan, in collaboration with the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India and Morariji Desai National Institute of Yoga.
HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji inaugurated and delivered the Keynote Address in Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi on the 13th March, 2022 during a special Yoga Mahotsav 2022, officially launching the 100-day countdown to International Yoga Day alongside the Hon’ble Union AYUSH Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal ji, Hon’ble Union Forest, Environment & Climate Change Minister Shri Bhupendra Yadav ji, Hon’ble Union MoS External Affairs Mrs Meenakshi Lekhi ji, Hon’ble Union MoS AYUSH, Women & Child Development Shri Mahendra Munjpara ji, Hon’ble CM Haryana Shri Monhar Lal Khattar ji, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Sikkim Shri Prem Singh Tamang ji, yoga experts and enthusiasts. This special campaign will bring together 100 cities, 100 organizations to host 100 events in the lead up to the International Day of Yoga on 21st June, 2022. Parmarth Niketan hosted its special event on the auspicious occasion of Holika Dahan and Holi.
The special Yogic Holi Celebrations started with a Common Yoga Protocol session in the morning at the feet of Shankar Bhagawan, on the holy banks of Mother Ganga, with the blessings of Parmarth Niketan’s President, HH Param Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji and President of Divine Shakti Foundation Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswatiji. Immediately followed by a special eco-friendly Yagya & Prayer ceremony with cow dung patties instead of wood as is the daily practice of the Ashram.The concept and vision behind these celebrations is that Yoga is not just Asana, Yoga is a way of life. Therefore Yoga must be integrated with every aspect of our lives, including in the way we celebrate our festivals, being mindful of the impact of our actions on the planet.
In the evening there was another special Yoga Session done in the presence of Pujya Swamiji and Sadhvi Bhagawatiji that was livestreamed across the Ashram and Ministry’s platforms, following the session, the yoga practitioners and participants joined in a special Eco-Friendly, Waterless Holi celebration with organic colours and flowers. The celebrations flowed into the world-famous Ganga Aarti wherein messages about the campaign and about the significance of the festival of colours was shared with all devotees and pilgrims. Thereafter, there was a special Satsang Session inside the Ashram premises, followed by a special green campfire, made again from cow dung patties and old wood, as part of a special an Eco-Friendly Holika Dahan puja.
Joining these celebrations was the Hon’ble Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago to India Dr Roger Gopaul with his family who had come especially to celebrate their children’s very first Holi on the banks of Mother Ganga.
QUOTES:
Said HH Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, President of Parmarth Niketan, “Today, people from across the world enjoyed the colours of Holi in a wHOLe new way, a way that represents the true essence of our Incredible India. These celebrations are a symbol of the power of uniting as one family, in the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, as people of all castes, colours, cultures and creeds come together in the name of Yoga. The eco-friendly colors remind us also of our commitment to protect our environment and our health. Let this serve as an example for everyone, everywhere, so that all festivals may become clean and green festivals.”
About the event He added, “This concept of celebrating the 100 day countdown in 100 iconic location and cities is a beautiful and innovative way of promoting the heritage of India and the rich tradition of Yoga. We are so glad to host these celebrations in Rishikesh which is regarded as the Yoga Capital of the world to many and to have our family from across the world and across the nation join us. As Yogis and Yoginis we must be role models of living in harmony with Mother Nature, fulfilling our dharma of protecting and preserving our environment. The health and wellness of the planet is directly linked to the health and wellness of our communities and every human being. This is why Parmarth Niketan celebrated the Yoga Mahotsav on the auspicious holiday of Holi, to showcase the interconnectedness between our health, the health of our communities and our ability to celebrate holidays with joy and gaiety.”
Said Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Director of International Yoga Festival, “Today’s beautiful celebrations brought the world together in song, dance, joy and colours. We celebrated Holi because we want everyone to return to their nations with their hearts coloured in the colour of yoga, the colour of union, the colour of oneness and peace and the color of our beautiful, timeless Bharatiya Sanskriti. The colours on our faces wash right off, but the colour of love, yoga and peace on our hearts is what everyone will take home. This is the true essence and true message of Yoga. Yoga is not merely what we do but it is who we are. In Rishikesh, on the holy banks of Mother Ganga, in the lap of the Himalayas, simply being here is Yoga. So much of what we think about as “Yoga” in the Western world is sadly limited to Asana, but in Rishikesh, in the Ashram culture, we learn that Yoga must be a lifestyle, it must be how we see the world and it must be how we live in harmony with everyone and everything around us. So doing mandhukasana or trikonasana is just as much Yoga as celebrating eco-friendly Holika Dahan and Holi, Yoga a balanced approach to life and it allows us to see how our every action, every thought and every word impacts us and the world around us and we utilise that power for the service of all. This is the message that we share from the iconic Yoga Capital of the World, from Rishikesh, today from Parmarth Niketan.”
In sharing about the celebration, Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Sadhviji reminded participants that the festival of Holi is the festival of the defeat of Hiranyakashyap’s ego and the victory of Prahlad’s devotion. Holi is a festival celebrating the power of devotion. Devotion to God and devotion to the country. It is a symbol of cultural identity and divine traditions – traditions that we must inculcate into the next generation so that we can keep them alive. In this beautiful land of Uttarakhand – known the world over for its culture and traditions and natural beauty, festivals are celebrated throughout the year in the hills, valleys and foothills. Every day in India is full of joy and every day is a celebration, this is a culture that believes that spreading, sharing and exuding this joy is Yoga.
