From river banks to parks, UP gears up for grand Yoga Day events with mass participation

Lucknow/Varanasi: On the eve of the 11th International Yoga Day, Uttar Pradesh has made elaborate preparations for mass participation across cities, from the ghats of Varanasi and Prayagraj to Ayodhya, and parks across Lucknow, Kanpur, Mathura and Ghaziabad.

The state government has developed over 100 yoga parks in the urban local bodies to provide permanent space for yoga practice, where special events involving children, senior citizens, and foreign delegates are lined up for Saturday.

Developed by the Urban Development Department, these parks, are equipped with clean drinking water, seating arrangements, and dedicated yoga spaces.

The initiative aligns with this year's theme -- "Yoga for One Earth, One Health" -- and is designed to promote a year-round culture of health and wellness.

Lucknow now has nine yoga parks, including at Gulab Park, Swarn Jayanti Park, and ED Park.

Kanpur features spaces like Nana Rao Park and Buddha Park, while Jhansi leads with 12 parks, followed by Mathura-Vrindavan with eight.

Ayodhya and Firozabad have three each, while Ghaziabad has developed 10.

In Varanasi, yoga will be practised at locations like Namo Ghat, Assi Ghat, Ravidas Ghat, and Shaheed Udyan.

On Friday, specially-abled children, slum dwellers and senior citizens gathered for a special yoga programme at Mahanagar in the state capital under the aegis of Lucknow University, organised by yoga practitioner Roma Hemvani.

Saurabh, a specially-abled child, performed aasanas while another performer, Srishti Kashyap, enthralled the audience with a yoga dance involving young kids, while Kartik Hemvani performed 'jal yoga'.

Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been selected as an "iconic spot" for Yoga Day, where events have been scheduled across the city, with the main programme to be held at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

Cabinet minister Suresh Khanna will attend the event as the chief guest, while Union minister Anupriya Patel will be present at Assi Ghat.

In Prayagraj, 'water yoga' will be performed at the Sangam, for which instructors are teaching children to perform asanas in the water.

Ayodhya is expecting a big turnout at Ram ki Paidi, where around 4,000 people, including seers and public representatives, will perform yoga on Saturday morning.

District Magistrate Nikhil Tikaram Funde and IG Praveen Kumar confirmed that all preparations have been made for the event, which will also feature a live broadcast of Prime Minister Modi's address.

A delegation from South Africa is slated to attend the event.

Yoga Day will also be celebrated at Ayodhya's Gulab Bari, all tehsil and block headquarters, and gram panchayat offices.

Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana, who led a pre-Yoga Day event at Gandhi Park in Maharajpur, appealed to the people to make yoga a daily habit.

In a message shared on social media, Mahana said, "Yoga not only strengthens physical and mental health, but also instills discipline, balance, and positive energy in life."