Kashmiri youth celebrate Yoga Day near Dal Lake
Jun 21, 2021
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 21 : Many Kashmiri youth performed yoga at a group session near the Nehru Park area of Dal lake under the guidance of a coach on International Yoga Day on Monday.
Nasir Ahmad Khan, an organider at the venue said, "International Yoga Day is being celebrated today. A large number of participants have arrived here. Families have come not only from Srinagar but also from other areas. We focused on youth because we believe they hold the future of our country."
"As compared to previous years, we have seen a 30 percent rise in the number of participants. We are thankful to the Indian Army for helping us organise this camp," he said. 
S Khan, a participant said, "We are observing Yoga Day today. Yoga helps us boost our mental and physical fitness. Yoga is best for health. Yoga can be practised as an extra-curricular activity. We are happy to practice Yoga today."
Mehak Mehta, a Yoga coach said, "We have come here to celebrate Yoga Day. We are doing basic Pranayama, Surya Namaskar and other basic joint movements to boost immunity. I am happy to be here."
Another participant said, "These yoga tips help our youth a lot as during lockdown we felt sad but now we feel some relaxation post attending this session. After the yoga session, famous Kashmiri singers like Irfan and Bilal gave remarkable performances."
President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, several union ministers and citizens across the country performed Yoga on the occasion today.
However, the nation witnessed muted celebrations, and events were held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Ram Nath Kovind performed yoga at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Taking to Twitter, the President termed Yoga as 'India's great gift to the world'.
"International Day of Yoga greetings! Our ancient seers' vision of bringing mind-body together to achieve holistic health and happiness has benefited millions over millennia. One of India's great gifts to the world, it can be especially helpful during Covid-19," President Kovind tweeted with the hashtag 'BeWithYogaBeAtHome'.
