Government and aided schools, colleges, universities and madrasas across Bengal on Sunday observed International Yoga Day.
Calcutta University and many of its affiliated colleges, apart from observing Yoga Day on the respective campuses, sent their delegations to the Red Road venue where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present on the occasion of International Yoga Day.
Calcutta University held its event at the university’s Rowing Club at Rabindra Sarobar.
Vice-chancellor Ashutosh Ghosh, registrar Debasis Das and other officials, along with non-teaching staff, gathered at the Rowing Club at 6.30am.
The vice-chancellor said around 80 people assembled there for the programme.
At the same time, 50 students selected from CU-affiliated colleges went to Red Road to take part in the main event.
“One of the university engineers, who is also into yoga, accompanied the students to the programme on Red Road,” Ghosh said.
For the event at the Rowing Club, the university engaged a yoga trainer. The session began with a two-minute prayer (prarthana). “The prayer creates a peaceful environment and centres the mind,” the VC said.
This was followed by loosening exercises known as Yogic Sukshma Vyayama, said a CU official who attended the programme. “This lasted for about eight minutes and included neck, shoulder, trunk and knee movements to warm up the joints. This was followed by yogasanas (postures) for 20 minutes,” the official said.
At New Alipore College, affiliated to CU, a delegation of students was sent to the Red Road by the principal Joydeep Sarangi in the early hours.
The teacher and non-teaching staff assembled on the campus at 6.30am.
“We performed asanas following the common yoga protocol drawn by the ministry of AYUSH ( Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy),” the principal said.
At Jadavpur University, the event was held at the open-air theatre on campus. It was attended by vice-chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, pro-vice-chancellor Amitabha Datta and other officials. Around 80 people took part.
“Yoga has a long tradition in India. It also helps keep the body and mind fit,” the vice-chancellor said.
Many JU teachers went to Red Road separately.
An education department official said International Yoga Day had rarely been observed in Bengal’s academic institutions over the past 11 years because the previous Trinamool Congress regime opposed its promotion.
But the change of guard on May 4 has altered the scenario.
International Yoga Day being observed at a madrasa in Mathurapur-1 in South 24-Parganas on Sunday
Seikh Manjur Ahmed, headmaster of Dahakanda Siddiquia High Madrasah in Mathurapur-I, South 24-Parganas, said 350 students took part in the observance at the institution.
“Madrasas across Bengal held yoga demonstration programmes on June 9 as part of the run-up to the 12th International Day of Yoga on June 21. On Sunday, students participated actively,” Ahmed said.