Women’s Chamber of Commerce organizes Yoga Day with many celebrities in attendance
BENGALURU:
The International Yoga Day celebrations organised by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with the Kanti Sweets group and World Book of Records on Monday, stressed the importance of regular practice of yoga and exercise in ensuring mental and physical wellness.
The celebrations, held online due to the ongoing pandemic-induced restrictions, saw impressive participation by people from different walks of life and from across the world as Grand Master Akshar – founder of Akshara Yoga Foundation — conducted the yoga session.
WICCI Food and Nutrition Council Vice-President Radha Koli, council members, Bollywood celebrities, Niti Aayog co-chair Dr Vishwapati Trivedi, Supreme Court lawyer and President, World Book of Records, Santosh Shukla, and Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre founder-president Bhiku Sanghsena graced the occasion.
Other who graced the occasion included Mrs Karnataka, Ms Shubha Sriram, granddaughter-in-law of K C Reddy, Karnataka’s first CM, Vasantha Kavitha, Bollywood actress and choreographer Ashima Sharma, celebrity astrologer from South Africa Mahesh Bang and 110-year-old marathon runner Fauja Singh.
‘Yoga in a time of darkness’
Shikha Sharma, National President, WICCI Food and Nutrition Council, and Director, Kanti Sweets, emphasized that yoga harmonises our existence both individually and collectively. Covid-19 has created uncertainties, including lockdowns, travel restrictions, closed businesses and economic turbulence, besides ushering in work-from-home (WFH) culture, she noted.
“This is especially true in the case of working women who also have to manage their homes. But yoga provides us the knowledge of ideal living,” she said, adding, “The yoga session organised as part of the celebrations offered a way forward in dealing with crises, showing light in times of darkness.”
Addressing the participants, Dr Trivedi said yoga has been the treasure of India for ages while people in other parts of the world started realising its importance only in the recent past. “But yoga practice should not be limited to Yoga Day alone. It should be done every day,” he advised.
Shukla said the World Book of Records was happy to associate with WICCI in its social initiative while Yoga Guru Vishnu Ji of Akshara Yoga Foundation stressed the importance of ‘pranayama’ for improved respiratory health. Space and Environmental Scientist Mithilesh Tiwari in his address said yoga should become a way of life to achieve existential balance.
