Only 'made in India' mats for Yoga Day

Following controversy over “Made in China” yoga mats during the Yoga Day celebration in New Delhi last year, the Chandigarh administration is working hard to avoid such embarrassments this year.

The officials are ensuring that the yoga mats to be used at the event scheduled to be held on June 21 are made in India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the second Yoga Day in Chandigarh. The plan is to engage around 50,000 people for the event which, if successful, will be a world record of sorts, sources said.

The Ministry of Ayush has even sent a “Yoga protocol” to the Chandigarh administration ahead of the prime minister’s visit for the occasion. The protocol enlists the Yoga asana’s that will be performed by the prime minister and volunteers one after the other in a sequence. The 45-minute session will witness Modi and others perform at least 11 Yoga asana’s culminating with Anulom Vilom. 

Around 37,000 indigenous yoga mats will be procured ahead of the event. Over 3 dozen LED screens too will be obtained for the occasion for wider visual display of the event being designed by the French architect Le Corbusier in Chandigarh. The capitol complex designed by the French architect is one the venues being explored by the city administration for the event. The cost of procurement of yoga mats, LED screens and other arrangements for the event is expected to be over Rs 8 crore.

Delhi based suppliers are being contacted for procurement of yoga mats. Being the capital city, states of Punjab and Haryana along with Chandigarh are jointly organising the event that will be funded by the Ministry of Ayush. A Yoga training college in the city is preparing about 1,000 volunteers in techniques of Yoga. They will follow the protocol as stipulated in by the authorities concerned.