The festival began on Sunday, March 1 and will come to a close on March 8. According to the organisers, international participation in the annual festival has risen by 80 percent in the last few years. “I’m delighted that the international visitors will go on to be ambassadors of India’s rich heritage and culture,” Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma said, during the inaugural ceremony.
The sessions will include asanas and meditation classes, which are being conducted by over 60 teachers from around the world, including the United States, Australia, South Africa, China, Ireland, Japan and Turkey. Teachers from Malaysia are also present. Ironically, Malaysia chose to oppose the International Yoga Day resolution passed in the United Nations General Assembly passed in December, 2014.
A so-called yoga dance performance is also on the cards, as is a small exhibition on yoga’s early history, besides a handicrafts exposition featuring locally-made goods such as khadi bags, beads and sandalwood artifacts. “Yoga helped me transcend the grips of addiction,” said Tommy Rosen, one of the teachers who will be conducting sessions titled ‘Move Beyond Addiction’.
“It’s a magical experience to be at the Yoga Festival with folks from 55 counties all following the yogic path. My heart swells with love being here,” Sue Melbourne, a participant from Pennsylvania said.
Each day will come to a close with an aarti or traditional ritual before the river Ganga and an Indian classical dance performance.
The festival had earlier encountered a funding crunch, as the government, despite promises of increased funding, stuck to its previous years’ contribution of around INR 4 million ($70,000).
