Yoga gives clarity in chaos: Rajnath Singh in Udhampur
Emphasising on the importance of Yoga, defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said it is universal solution to the problems faced by people in today's fast-paced world and that it gives clarity in chaos. Defence minister Rajnath Singh (ANI)
The defence minister led a mass yoga demonstrations on the occasion of International Day of Yoga at Northern Command headquarters, performing various asanas and breathing exercises with around 2,500 soldiers.
In his address, he credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for popularising yoga globally and highlighted that the practice provides a holistic approach to health & well-being. 'Yoga gives clarity to the people in chaos. It is an art, a science, a philosophy, and spirituality. Those who practice Yoga in their daily lives have control over their body and mind. It makes us proactive, not reactive,' he said.
Describing Operation Sindoor as a shining example of that control, Rajnath Singh stated that Indian armed forces displayed restraint, balance and precision during the operation, which is a reflection of their inner strength attained by practising yoga.
He stated that India's social and communal unity was targeted through the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor was a clear message to Pakistan that it will face the consequences for supporting terror activities against India.
'Operation Sindoor is the natural progression of the surgical strike of 2016 and the air strike of 2019. It was executed in such a way that Pakistan requested for a ceasefire, and only then have we put a pause to the operation. As I have said earlier, Operation Sindoor is not over yet. India is fully prepared to take all kinds of action against terrorism,' said Singh.
He said when the nation is celebrating International Day of Yoga, it should remember the true meaning of the practice, which is to connect every section of society with the culture and soul of India. 'If even one section is left behind, the wheel of unity and security is broken. Therefore, today, we should perform yoga at the level of society and thought and not just body,' he said.
He appreciated the inclination of the armed forces personnel towards yoga which has a direct impact on their discipline and focus. 'Yoga prepares a soldier physically and mentally and its benefits can be seen in the battlefield,' he said, encouraging the soldiers to continue practising it daily.
Reiterating PM Modi's statement that 'Yoga is India's gift to the world', Singh said it is not just a diplomatic quote, but a vision. Through Yoga, India has given the world a tool which is beyond any border, religion, and culture, he said.
The event was attended by Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command Lt Gen Pratik Sharma.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
38 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Owaisi slams US strikes on Iran, calls it violation of international law
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday strongly condemned the US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling the move a blatant violation of international law and even the Constitution of the United States of America. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi speaks to the media, in Hyderabad on Wednesday. (ANI - X/File) The US officially joined Israeli campaign against Iran, launching airstrikes on Saturday targeting three key Iranian nuclear sites—Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. Follow Israel-Iran conflict live updates US President Donald Trump later confirmed the strikes on Truth Social, declaring them a 'spectacular military success,' and claimed that Iran's nuclear enrichment infrastructure had been 'completely and totally obliterated.' Reacting to the US strikes, Owaisi said, 'The strikes carried out this morning by the US on nuclear sites in Iran are a violation of international law, and even of the US Constitution itself." The Trump entry marks a dramatic escalation in the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, with the US now directly involved. Trump described the operation as a 'historic moment' for the US, Israel, and the world, and issued a stern warning to Tehran: 'Make peace or face greater and easier attacks.' Congress leader Pramod Tiwari, on US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, said, 'The world operates on international laws, and violating the sovereignty of any nation is a serious crime. The US is carrying out bombings from so far away, I just want to say that such actions were taken against our neighboring country, like Iran, who have stood with India during difficult times, is not good and on the other side, our government is silent on all this." RJD leader Manoj Jha said the entire world is going through a period of great turmoil, and the US President has played a significant role "in shaping this situation.' Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi took a clever jibe at the growing coordination between the United States and Israel over the recent strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. "America voted for President Trump but got Netanyahu as their boss," the UBT leader said.
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
Remembering Emergency: When India banned Coke and brewed nationalism in a bottle called Double Seven
Reuters A Coca Cola logo is pictured in Brussels, Belgium March 4, 2024. In the summer of 1977, just after the 21-month Emergency ended and India turned the page on nearly three decades of uninterrupted Congress rule, a new political force was not the only thing bubbling to the newly elected Janata Party government had shown the door to Coca-Cola and unveiled its own fizzy response -- Double Seven. The country's first "sarkari cola" was launched as a symbol of economic self-reliance and political after the landmark year that brought the Morarji Desai-led Janata coalition to power, Double Seven was more than a beverage; it was a political statement in a bottle. The indigenous cola had an elaborate launch at the annual trade fair at Pragati Maidan. The Double Seven cola, popularly known as "Satattar" (77 in Hindi) was manufactured and marketed by the makers of Modern breads - Modern Food Industries - a government-owned company. Interestingly, then MP H V Kamath was also awarded a cash prize for coming up with the name "77". Although "77" was not ready for sale until 1978, the name was chosen because 1977 was the year of big changes in India -- such as the end of the Indira Gandhi government and the helm of affairs in the cola episode was then Industry Minister George Fernandes, who decided to throw Coke as well as IBM out of India over their refusal to follow the provisions of what was then the Foreign Exchange Regulation Ramagundam wrote in Fernandes' biography "Life and Times of George Fernandes" that the provision stipulated that foreign companies should dilute their equity stake in their Indian associates to 60 per wanted Coca-Cola Company to not just transfer 60 per cent of the shares of its Indian firm but also the formula for its concentrate to Indian shareholders. The company said it was agreeable to transferring a majority of the shares but not the formula, which it contended was a trade company exited the Indian market as the government denied a licence to import the Coke concentrate. Fernandes then introduced the indigenous drink "77".The government asked the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysuru to develop the with the tagline "The Taste that Tingles", the cola did not strike the same chord with the public as Coca-Cola, amid tough competition from brands like Campa Cola, Thums Up, and Duke."I remember the launch of Double Seven at the annual trade fair at Pragati Maidan, a proud gift from the Janata Party, an indigenous drink supposedly superior than Coca-Cola and a stark reminder of Indira Gandhi's humiliating defeat in the recent general elections," author Sunil Lala says in his book "American Khichdi", published in McGraw Hill's book "Advertising Management: Concepts and Cases" also mentions Double Seven as an example of government branding and "swadeshi" marketing gone cited the launch of Double Seven as a business school case study in government-backed branding, highlighting the campaign's missteps and beverage-market context of the late end of Double Seven, not so surprisingly, coincided with Indira Gandhi reclaiming power in made a comeback in October 1993, post-liberalisation of the Indian market by the P V Narasimha Rao government and has maintained a strong presence ever leader Shashi Tharoor has also referred to the episode in his book "India: From Midnight to the Millennium and Beyond"."Heedless to the signal these exits sent to the world - whose brief hopes that a change of government might have led to a more welcoming investment climate were poured down the same drain as the Coke - the Janata ministers chose to celebrate the departures of these multinationals as a further triumph for socialism and anti-imperialistic self-reliance," Tharoor wrote in the Emergency was imposed 50 years ago on June 25, 1975, by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi. Triggered by political unrest and a court verdict invalidating Gandhi's election, the Emergency suspended civil liberties, censored the press and saw mass arrests of opposition leaders.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
US Strikes Iran: The significance of Strait of Hormuz for global oil supply – explained in 5 points
US Strikes Iran: The US strike on three key nuclear facilities in Iran on Saturday night has put the spotlight back on the Strait of Hormuz – the strategically significant shipping pathway that carries about a fifth of the world's oil. Iran has long threatened to choke the Strait of Hormuz. In a fresh threat after the military strikes by its long-time foe, the United States, Hossein Shariatmadari, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's representative, has reportedly called for immediate retaliation, including closing the Strait of Hormuz to American, British, German, and French ships. The Strait of Hormuz is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world's most strategically important choke points. The Strait serves as the primary export route for Gulf producers such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Kuwait. This pathway allows about 20 per cent of the world's daily oil consumption—around 20 million barrels—to pass through it. The strait has been at the heart of regional tensions for decades, and recently, attacks have occurred near it and targeted alternative routes for oil bypassing Hormuz, news agency Reuters said. Recently, President Trump blamed Iran for the June 12 attacks on two oil tankers at the entrance to the Gulf despite Tehran's denials, stoking fears of a confrontation in the vital oil shipping route. On July 19 Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had captured a British-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf after Britain seized an Iranian vessel on July 4. At present, approximately 50 large oil tankers are attempting to navigate out of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the media reports. Iran's fresh threat after US strikes has raised concerns about how disruptive a conflict in the Gulf could be for the global oil trade. But what if Iran closes the Strait this time? How will it impact India? The Strait links the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. Any blockade would drive the oil price up and cause inflation. Over two-thirds of India's oil imports and nearly half of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Of the 5.5 million barrels of oil India consumes every day, 1.5 million pass through the waterway. 'If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, India will definitely suffer. About 20 per cent of the world's crude oil and 25 per cent of the world's natural gas flow through these,' Foreign Affairs Expert Robinder Sachdev told news agency ANI. India will suffer because oil prices will go up, inflation will rise, and there is an estimate that for every ten-dollar increase in the price of crude oil, india's GDP will suffer by 0.5 per cent, he said. Union Minister Hardeep Puri said earlier this week that India plans to source crude oil from outside the Persian Gulf and to cut its own refined‑product exports, as a potential blockage of the Strait of Hormuz looms. 'We have enough diversified supplies of crude, and even if there were to be a disruption, we can source it from alternative suppliers,' Puri, the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, told NDTV 'I don't think this is something we are unduly worried about,' he added. Ample crude is available on the global market, so the concern is not supply but price, the Minister said. India is a net exporter of petroleum goods, with refiners such as Reliance Industries Ltd. and Nayara Energy shipping to countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the US and Australia. The crisis could reduce those shipments if needed to maintain sufficient stockpiles at home. India's product exports have averaged 1.3 million barrels a day so far this year, with Reliance and Nayara dominating the industry with 82 per cent of shipments, Bloomberg reported. The strait has never been closed, despite apprehensions that its closure in the past would disrupt the global oil supply. Experts said that while there might be a temporary disruption in maritime traffic, Iran might refrain from choking the Strait of Hormuz, as it will pinch its friends more than its enemies. 'There are three significant reasons why Iran might not actually do so, even while signalling that it might do so rhetorically. First, it will hurt Iran's friend, China, the world's second-largest economy, and Iran's largest trading partner. China, is the number one importer of oil, accounting for nearly three-quarters of its oil export,' Shweta Singh is an associate professor, Department of International Relations, Faculty of International Studies, South Asian University, wrote in Mint recently. So China, will not like to see any disruption in its maritime oil shipments, and might actually use its economic leverage with Iran to prevent Iran from the closure of the narrow lane, she said 'Second, it will rupture Iran's relationship with Oman (which owns the southern half of the strait) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC States). With Oman, careful crafting of a relationship has resulted in greater dependency for Iran on a wide range of issues,' Singh added. During the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s, the two countries engaged in what is called the ' Tanker War'. Tehran targeted Kuwaiti and Saudi tankers, as Iraq retaliated with missile strikes. The US launched Operation Earnest Will to protect Kuwaiti oil tankers from Iranian attacks during the Iran-Iraq War. It was a key part of the larger 'Tanker War' and involved the largest maritime convoy operation since World War II. This oil war led to a hike in prices across the world, but still, the Strait remained open. 'Third, domestically this might not work for the interest of the regime, as any economic hits or closure of its oil exporting terminal, will see a surge in prices, and fuel popular discontent, which might impact both regime stability, and reformist tendencies for President Masoud Pezeshkian,' Singh wrote. Steven Schork, Schork Group principal and editor, told Bloomberg, that he does not think Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz because it would hurt India and China, two of their biggest oil export clients. If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, India will definitely suffer. About 20 percent of the world's crude oil and 25 percent of the world's natural gas flow through these. In 2011-2012, Iran again threatened to close the Strait in response to European and US sanctions against its oil exports and banking system. The then-Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi warned of a complete shutdown if oil sanctions were enforced. The Strait, however, was not closed. Likewise, in 2019, when the US withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and tensions soared, apprehensions of closure gripped the globe yet again. But despite severe escalation, the Strait remained functional.
