logo
Enthusiasm marks International Day of Yoga in Andhra Pradesh

Enthusiasm marks International Day of Yoga in Andhra Pradesh

The Hindu3 hours ago

The month-long Yogandhra campaign organised across Andhra Pradesh culminated in the International Day of Yoga-2025 held on the Beach Road in Visakhapatnam, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, Union Ministers, and Ministers participated.
The officials and staff of various departments, who had toiled day in and day out, heaved a sigh of relief as the mega event passed off without any major glitches.
Contrary to the alerts of possible rain that threatened to mar the mega event, the cool breeze in the early hours, followed by the sun casting its rays after dawn provided relief to the organisers.
A beaming Prime Minister heaped lavish praise on the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister, and had a special mention of the work done by HRD Minister Nara Lokesh in the smooth conduct of the month-long event. Mr. Modi said that Mr. Lokesh had set an example for others to emulate in the conduct of such mega events.
Later, at a review meeting, Mr. Naidu commended the Ministers, MLAs, officials, and staff for the success of the event across the State.
In NTR district, 9 lakh people had taken part in the yoga sessions organised at every Grama Sachivalayam. In Vijayawada, more than 5,000 people gathered at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation (IGMC) Stadium, where a huge screen was set up for the live telecast of the main event from Visakhapatnam. District Collector G. Lakshmisha and Police Commissioner S.V. Rajasekhara Babu were among the officials who took part.
At the Suryalanka Beach in Bapatla district, Collector J. Venkata Murali, along with 10,000 people, participated in the Yoga Day celebrations. Many participated in various other locations across the district.
In Palnadu district, a total of 9.97 lakh people participate in the yoga sessions at 5,000 venues. Collector P. Arun Babu participated at the district headquarters, where around 10,000 people participated, the I&PR Department said.
In Guntur district, Collector S. Nagalakshmi participated along with 5,000 participants at the Police Parade Grounds in Guntur city. A total of 9.70 people participated at 5,130 venues.
An overwhelming participation of over 8 lakh people was witnessed under the Yogandhra- 2025 initiative across the Chittoor district.
In Chittoor, Collector Sumit Kumar, Superintendent of Police V.N. Manikantha Chandolu, and officials joined the public in the yoga day event at the District Police Grounds.
At Rayachoti in Annamayya district, over 5,000 people took part in the event, led by Collector Sridhar Chamakuri. In Hindupur of Sri Sathya Sai district, Collector T.S. Chetan highlighted the importance of doing yoga every day for good health.
(With inputs from N. Sravani, K. Umasankar, and G. Sambasiva Rao)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

PM lauds Lokesh for Yogandhra drive
PM lauds Lokesh for Yogandhra drive

Time of India

time17 minutes ago

  • Time of India

PM lauds Lokesh for Yogandhra drive

Visakhapatnam: Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised state education minister Nara Lokesh for his dedicated efforts in making the International Day of Yoga a grand success. Acknowledging Lokesh's one-and-a-half-month-long campaign, the PM lauded his role in transforming the event into a social festival that mobilized people across all sections of the society. Addressing a gathering at RK Beach Road before the yoga session on Saturday, PM Modi highlighted Lokesh's meticulous planning and execution, calling it a model for the nation in hosting inclusive public events. "People here have organised this event so well. I congratulate Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan. Under your leadership, AP took a great initiative with the Yogandhra Abhiyan. I would also like to specially praise the efforts of Nara Lokesh," the PM said. "How should the social celebration of yoga be? How should every section of society be connected? Lokesh showed this during the Yogandhra campaign and deserves many congratulations.

Kerala student returns in special flight from Iran
Kerala student returns in special flight from Iran

The Hindu

time37 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

Kerala student returns in special flight from Iran

Fadila Kachakkaran, a Malayali student pursuing her second-semester MBBS programme at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, arrived in New Delhi on Saturday, June 21, 2025, on a special flight arranged as part of the Union government's 'Operation Sindhu' to evacuate Indian nationals from the conflict-affected regions of Iran and Israel. She was part of the special flight carrying Indian nationals that reached Delhi airport around 5 p.m., said a communication issued by the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NoRKA). A native of Mudikode in Malappuram, she was expected to reach Kochi airport from Delhi around 11.50 p.m. by an IndiGo flight, it added. Muhammed Kachakkaran, her father, who is a civil engineer in Saudi Arabia, had reached Delhi to receive her. She had gone to Tehran in September 2024 to pursue the MBBS programme, the communication said. A special team formed to help people caught in conflict zones return home safely as per the directive of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has been coordinating the evacuation operations. The team is led by Chetan Kumar Meena, Additional Resident Commissioner at Kerala House, New Delhi, according to the communication. Mr. Vijayan had earlier instructed him to ensure necessary facilities for returning Keralites. Accommodation will be provided at Kerala House for Keralites arriving in Delhi. They will be sent to the State as soon as flights are available. The Chief Minister had earlier said that Malayalis wishing to return to the State should register their names through the NoRKA Global Contact Centre helpline: 1800 425 3939 (toll-free) or +91 88020 12345 (for international missed calls).

The paradox of English: It is both a foreign tongue and a deeply embedded Indian language
The paradox of English: It is both a foreign tongue and a deeply embedded Indian language

Scroll.in

time2 hours ago

  • Scroll.in

The paradox of English: It is both a foreign tongue and a deeply embedded Indian language

Alongside their offensive against Urdu, India's language nationalists appear to have turned their ire on English. That is what one could conclude from the declaration by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a book launch in New Delhi on Thursday, when he predicted that 'soon a time would come when those speaking English will feel ashamed'. 'In our lifetime, we will see a society in which those speaking English will feel ashamed, that day is not far,' he said. 'I believe that the languages of our country are the ornament of our culture. Without them, we would not have been Bharatiya. Our country, its history, its culture, our dharma – if these have to be understood, it cannot be done in foreign languages.' Shah's statement quickly sparked a political backlash. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, countered forcefully: 'English is not a dam, it is a bridge. English is not shameful, it is empowering. English is not a chain – it is a tool to break the chains.' Other opposition figures, including Trinamool Congress leaders Derek O'Brien and Sagarika Ghose, echoed this sentiment, slamming the home minister for what they saw as a regressive and divisive stance. Echoes of Mulayam Singh Shah's remarks recall a moment 35 years ago when Mulayam Singh Yadav, who was then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, launched his own crusade against English. In May 1990, Yadav infamously declared English to be 'the language of foreigners and the elite', blaming it for perpetuating socio-economic disparity and cultivating feelings of inferiority among non-English speakers. His one-point mission: Angrezi hatao. Banish English. In a curious twist, Yadav, a self-declared supporter of Urdu urged Urdu-speaking communities to unite with Hindi speakers to oppose English. Urdu, having only recently been granted official status as Uttar Pradesh's second language, was now being weaponised against a new linguistic rival. This contradiction is not out of character for Indian politics, where language often becomes a proxy for identity, power and culture. The disdain for English in some Indian political circles can be traced back to the 1950s and '60s, to socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia and even earlier, to Mohandas Gandhi and the Indian National Congress. Gandhi viewed English as an alien imposition that had displaced indigenous languages from their rightful place in Indian society. At Independence, the Indian Constitution made Hindi the official language, but allowed English to continue for a transitional period of 15 years. This compromise was pragmatic, not sentimental. English was seen as a necessary link language in a culturally and linguistically diverse nation. However, the efforts to impose Hindi on South India in the 1960s sparked widespread resistance and deepened the North-South linguistic divide. Even today, English continues to be viewed by many as a colonial vestige, despite its extensive indigenisation. The Lohia doctrine Lohia considered English to be not just a colonial leftover, but a barrier to original thought and mass education. He argued that true educational reform and people-oriented governance were possible only if conducted in the people's languages. Recognising India's cultural diversity, Lohia made exceptions for South Indian states, allowing them to retain English for inter-state and central communication for 50 years. However, his nuanced vision was distorted by his followers. The anti-English frenzy gained renewed vigour in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, leading to draconian steps like removing English from school curricula altogether. In Bihar in the 1970s, Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur reduced English to an optional subject, resulting in a generation of students branded as the 'Karpoori class' – matriculates without English proficiency. Mulayam Singh Yadav resurrected the campaign in the 1990s, giving it a political legitimacy that had long-lasting social consequences. Misplaced stereotypes Yadav's campaign also triggered unwarranted attacks on Christian institutions, which were accused of using English as a tool for religious conversion and elitist education. This conflation of English with Christianity mirrors the equally irrational equation in the Hindi heartland of Urdu with Islam. Such logic ignores the complex realities of Indian linguistic identity. English may have arrived with colonial Christians, but it soon became a key vehicle for political awakening and nation-building. It was through English that India's founding leaders – from Raja Rammohun Roy to Nehru – engaged with global currents of nationalism, democracy, liberty and modernity. The same language, intended by the British to produce obedient clerks, ended up producing freedom fighters, thinkers and reformers who led India's struggle for independence. More Indian than foreign? Despite its origins, English in India has long shed its colonial skin. It is the medium of scientific advancement, legal systems, administrative governance and higher education. It has played a vital role in the country's post-Independence progress – particularly in the globalisation era. Ironically, many politicians who publicly denounce English still prefer to send their children to English-medium schools. Even in the Hindi heartland, English remains a key administrative language. Today, English enjoys a paradoxical status: both a foreign tongue and a deeply embedded Indian language. English is also the mother tongue of the Anglo Indian community, a recognised minority in India, and serves as an official language in states like Nagaland. As globalisation continues to shape India's economic and cultural landscape, English remains the country's primary interface with the world. To treat it as a threat to Indian identity is to ignore the multifaceted reality of modern India. Language should be a medium of unity, not a tool of discord. English, like all Indian languages, must be valued for its integrative potential, not vilified for its past. The country does not need another round of linguistic chauvinism. Instead, India should recognise the multilingual richness of English – and the maturity to embrace it.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store