Sumit Nayyar
The International Day of Yoga is celebrated on June 21 every year. The idea for the day was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his speech at the 69th session of the General Assembly in 2014.
International Yoga Day is celebrated every year on 21 June to spread awareness about the important health benefits of practising yoga. The word ‘yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit language which means to ‘unite’ or to ‘join. On September 27, 2014, Prime Minister Modi during his speech at the UN General Assembly laid the idea of celebrating a ‘Yoga Day’. He stated that June 21 is the longest day in the northern hemisphere and shortest in the southern hemisphere, holding a special significance in most parts of the world. Also, from the view of yoga, the summer solstice marks the transition to Dakshinayana. The resolution proposed by India was voted by 117 member states in the UN Assembly.
Recognizing the universal appeal of Yoga, on December 11 2014, the United Nations proclaimed June 21 to be marked as the International Day of Yoga.
It was first started by our present Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. He celebrated Yoga Day for the first time on June 21 in 2015, after which Yoga Day started being celebrated all over the world on June 15, and it turned into International Yoga Day. Since then, Yoga Day has been celebrated every year by the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in India.
Now in our UT, International Yoga Centre is coming up at Mantalai, and it is heartening to know that the Central Government had sanctioned an amount of Rs 99 Crore to develop the picturesque hill resort of Mantalai. Out of Rs 99 Crore sanctioned for the three tourist places, Rs 83.73 crores have alone been earmarked for the development of Mantalai as an International Yoga Centre, which will include Yoga Centre, Wellness and Ayurveda Complex, Tourist Facilitation Centre, Cafeteria, Accomodation facilities, eco-parking and herbal garden, Meditation Enclave, Landscaping, Rainwater Harvesting Fountains, Children’s Activities zone, etc. Once an internationally famous place bubbling with activity, Mantalai, attracts a large footfall of tourists every year, who are mesmerised by its bewitching beauty. The beautiful buildings constructed decades ago, green grounds, the helipad etc and many other remnants of the years gone by tell a lot about the beauty and fame of this place in the days when Swami Dhirendera Brahamchari used to run an Ashram and conducted yoga classes at Mantalai. Sudhmahadev, is also a beautiful tourist and religious spot having a huge potential for tourism. The International Yoga center in Mantalai is part of a larger project called “Integrated Development of Tourist facilities at Mantalai-Sudhmahadev-Patnitop under Himalayan Circuit,” implemented under the “Swadesh Darshan” scheme.
This scheme was launched by the Ministry of Tourism, with the aim of developing potential tourist spots in the country. Yoga is one of the six major schools of Indian philosophy. It is the art and science of a healthy and peaceful life. Thus, the all-encompassing purpose of Yoga ranges from achieving harmony between mind, body, and soul at a basic level to uniting the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness at a spiritual level.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate Rs 97.82 crore worth International Yoga Centre at Mantalai in Udhampur district as work on all the components of the project has been completed and at present final touches are being given.
The project was sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Government of India in order to carry forward the Himalayan Yoga and spiritual knowledge besides attracting domestic and foreign tourists and work on all its components has been completed by National Building Construction Corporation.
The project comprises Tourist Facilitation Centre, Yoga and Meditation Complex, Wellness Spa and Ayurveda Complex, eco-huts with solariums, poly house and drip irrigation system, open area amphitheatre and helipad etc. The Tourist Facilitation Centre consists of counselling rooms, money exchange point, conference hall and museum while as Yoga Centre is having exhibition space, meditation hall, meditation pods, dining centre and solid waste management plant and it has been conceptualized to practice and propagate Yoga in the lap of nature as many people are running for solace due to their changed/engaged fatigued lifestyle, The Wellness Spa and Ayurveda Complex with separate area for traditional Indian Spa Therapies consists of six floors and other allied infrastructure. There are 14 number of one bedroom eco-log huts, six number of two bedroom huts along with eco parks and herbal garden and these huts will be outsourced for residential purpose of the visiting tourists.
The poly houses at Mantalai are having naturally ventilated climate control for growing of vegetables, floriculture and fruit crop for market and outsourcing of the same will generate huge revenue every year. Moreover, open air amphitheatre with green rooms and tensile roofing, walking and jogging track, mood lighting, children activity zone and fountains have been created as part of the project. Even helipad with hanger has been constructed. For the mobility of the tourists within the complex spread over 450 kanals of land battery cars will be operated with informational, directional and ecological Dos and Don’ts signage at different places.
(The author is Advocate JandK High Court)
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