Mysuru set for Guinness attempt on International Yoga Day today

All arrangements are in place as the Heritage City gears up to make a mark on World Yoga Day on Wednesday.

With Chamundi Hills as the backdrop, 60,000 participants will descend on the Mysore Race Course to make a mark in the Guinness Book of World Records. They will participate in the biggest yoga demonstration at a single venue. The Race Course had attracted more than 20,000 yoga enthusiasts during the full-fledged rehearsal on June 18. With over 60,000 online registrations for the event, the record seems to be a certainity.

The event will be held on Wednesday from 7 am to 7.45 am. The participants, who took part in the first rehearsal in front of the Mysuru Palace on June 12, numbered around 2,000. But since then the response has been overwhelming. The participants have to avail the free tickets issued in various counters around the Race Course to facilitate a head count. They should come in yoga attire and bring their own yoga mats. All the participants will get official Guinness attempt certificates.

The district administration had earlier fixed the record attempt at Mysuru Palace, Hardinge Circle, D Devaraj Urs Road, Maharaja's Ground, Oval Ground and surrounding areas but since the yoga session at different places is not considered as a single venue by the Guinness representatives, the venue was shifted to Mysuru Race Course which can accommodate around 72,000 people. Of the 139 acres of the Race Course, the district administration is using 71 acres for the yoga event.

Deputy Commissioner D Randeep said, “Though over 63,000 enthusiasts have registered, conservative calculations predict that we will cross 45,000 and we are confident of surpassing the Delhi record where 38,500 people took part in a single venue during the first International Day of Yoga.”

“As part of the record, we have to document the process — each steward will monitor 50 performers. Takur Desai, General Manager of Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Limited and A C Lakshman, former Forest secretary, will be the independent witnesses. Besides, counterfoils of the tickets and video recording by drone cameras will be part of the documentation for the record. The officials of Guinness Book of World Records will take 10 to 15 days to process it. Once they are convinced, they will declare the record,” he said.

“Ten makeshift toilets have been set up at the venue. Drinking water is provided at prominent points. After the event, a cleanliness drive will be taken up at the venue with the help of a few NGOs and Mysuru City Corporation. The seven gates to the venue will be open from 5 am to 6.45 am. District minister H C Mahadevappa and Union minister Sadananda Gowda will also attend the event,” he said.