By Shah Abbas
Srinagar, India, June 21 (EFE).- Millions of Indians participated in mass yoga events on Friday morning across the country to celebrate the 10th International Day of Yoga.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a long-time practitioner and supporter of yoga, led the nation of 1.4 billion people in commemorating the occasion. Fitness enthusiasts practiced breathing exercises and stretches, following the traditional Indian physical, mental, and spiritual practice.
Modi was in Kashmir for the occasion, where he was scheduled to lead an early morning yoga session on the banks of the picturesque Dal Lake, against the backdrop of the lush green Zabarvan hills in Srinagar, the main city of the disputed Himalayan region.
However, heavy early morning showers played spoilsport, forcing the organizers to shift the event indoors to a convention center situated on the banks of the lake, one of the main tourist attractions of the valley.
Addressing the gathering, Modi emphasized the growing global popularity of yoga and highlighted the economic opportunities it offers for a job-starved and impoverished place like Kashmir, whose economy is heavily dependent on tourism.
Modi said yoga had become “part of daily life in every corner of the world” and the “new yoga economy” was an opportunity to attract more tourists. “All world leaders have shown a strong interest in yoga.”
People travel to India to learn the practice authentically, which has created an ecosystem of hotels, retreats, and businesses, he said.
Kashmir, one of the most idyllic places and militarized regions in the world, is a disputed territory between India and Pakistan as both countries rule parts of the divided Himalayan region but claim it in full.
The Muslim-majority region has suffered decades of armed insurgency against the Indian rule that has left tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, dead since the late 1980s when the rebellion began.
The Indian government claims that separatist violence has decreased since New Delhi unilaterally revoked its semi-autonomous status in 2019, downgraded it into two federally administered territories, and imposed unprecedented restrictions, including the incarceration of thousands of politicians and activists.
However, the region has recently experienced a series of attacks on security forces and targeted killings of migrants from other parts of India.
Restoration of democracy in Kashmir
Modi assured the restoration of democracy in the region, which has not had an elected government for the last six years and is ruled directly by the federal government through its nominated representative, who act as the head of the regional administration.
“Preparations have started for the assembly election. That time is not far when you can choose the government with your vote,” Modi said in his speech. “That day is not far either when Jammu and Kashmir can decide its own future as a state.”
Allege Coerced Yoga Attendance
Opposition politicians alleged that government employees were forced to take part in the yoga event of the Hindu-nationalist prime minister, and even pregnant women were not spared.
“An occasion for celebration has become one that fills people with dread. A day before International Yoga Day, all government employees along with school children (were) ordered to show up at different venues at ungodly hours,” former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti wrote on X.
“A pregnant employee was threatened to choose between her job or being present at the event,” she alleged.
However, the local administration refuted the allegations as “misinformation.” “All participants in the Yoga Day celebrations have volunteered to take part in the event, and no employee was compelled to join the event against their will,” a government statement said. EFE
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