Thousands of enthusiasts to mark Yoga Day at UNESCO World Heritage site in South Africa

Johannesburg: Thousands of enthusiasts will converge at the Cradle of Humankind, an iconic UNESCO World Heritage site, on Saturday to join yoga experts and mark the International Day of Yoga (IDY) in South Africa.

“This venue has deep cultural and human historical value. Holding Yoga Day there underscores the connection between ancient Indian philosophy (yoga) and its emphasis on harmony with humanity and nature," said Mahesh Kumar, the Consul General in Johannesburg.

Kumar, who last year spearheaded IDY at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, which attracted a record-breaking 8,000 people, said: "Yoga, derived from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ meaning ‘to unite’, symbolises the connection of mind, body, and environment, making this location (Cradle of Humankind) a fitting backdrop for a global wellness event.” In the run-up to the eleventh annual edition of IDY, yoga events have been organised by the Indian High Commission in Pretoria and its Consulates in Johannesburg and Durban at numerous venues for the past month.

The events will culminate this weekend, marking the day at venues including the Cradle of Humankind, where the first human remains were found, the Union Building, seat of the South African government, and the Royal Natal National Park in the Drakensberg mountains.

At Gandhi’s once-thriving commune, Tolstoy Farm near Johannesburg, hundreds of young black schoolchildren gathered last week to join the local and expatriate Indian community as yoga instructor Maya Bhatt led them through some basic yoga exercises.

The event was organised by the Indian Consulate in Johannesburg in partnership with the Mahatma Gandhi Remembrance organisation, which has revived Tolstoy Farm.

The Indian missions have decided this year to decentralise IDY and take it into the more rural provinces of South Africa.

On Friday, the Consulate in Durban, in collaboration with Ezemvelo Wildlife of KwaZulu-Natal province and other partners, hosted about 300 participants at the Drakensberg Amphitheatre at Royal National Park within the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, a UNESCO Heritage site.

Earlier, the mission organised events elsewhere in the province as well as in neighbouring provinces of the Free State and the Eastern Cape.

“Enthusiastically sharing in the IDY-2025 theme of ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health’, over 300 participants, including students from several educational institutions in the region, were guided by experienced instructors and encouraged to adopt practices that promote balance and harmony in their daily lives,” said Consul General in Durban Thelma David.

Earlier, the consulate also partnered with the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Durban to have yoga sessions at the iconic Pietermaritzburg Railway Station, where Gandhi was unceremoniously booted off a train, charting his path to becoming the Mahatma and his fight against discrimination and oppression.

The mission also introduced yoga at the globally supported annual Comrades Marathon last Sunday, with scores of runners from India in attendance.

The IDY scheduled at the Durban beachfront for Saturday has received the endorsement of luminaries such as Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini and the Premier of the KwaZulu-Natal province, Thami Ntuli, said Sivananda World Peace Foundation President Ishwar Ramlutchman.

The foundation is the main organiser of the event.

KZN Premier Thami Ntuli, who will be opening the event for the second consecutive year, said: “As we celebrate this special day, we acknowledge the profound impact that yoga has on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Yoga unites us, fosters peace and harmony, and inspires us to live in balance with ourselves and nature." In Pretoria, the Indian High Commission will on Sunday host IDY at the Union Building, a UNESCO Heritage site. The building was designed by Sir Herbert Baker, who also played an instrumental role in the design of Delhi.