Hon’ble Acting President Mr. Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory,

Distinguished Guests,

Colleagues from the Government of Mauritius, and

All the Yogis present here today.

I would like to warmly welcome you all this morning as we celebrate the 5^th International Day of Yoga in Mauritius at this beautiful Swami Vivekananda International Convention Centre. 21 June was designated by the United Nations as the International Day of Yoga in September 2014.

We are deeply honored by the presence of Hon’ble Acting President Mr. Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory who has joined us today. Excellency, your presence is extremely encouraging and inspirational for all the participants of the Yoga Day in Mauritius.

May I thank the Ministry of Health & Quality of Life of Government of Mauritius for continuing their partnership in organizing this event.

We are very happy that we are also joined by some young athletes. These include Prathna Jalim a table tennis champion and, Alexandre Bongout and Tejraj Pultoo who are badminton champions. They are preparing for the 10^th Indian Ocean Games to be held in Mauritius shortly.

As I understand, Yoga helps us experience the inter-connectedness of all creation. A fundamental truth that the modern science is discovering only now. By reminding us of this inter-connectedness Yoga helps us tune our inner selves with our surroundings comprising all nature including fellow human beings. This, therefore, not only contributes to the personal physical and mental wellbeing but also to the wider societal wellbeing.

Having evolved as a philosophical system over thousands of years, the Yoga practice retains its appeal and has spread far and wide since it ‘works’. It is an ancient science that allows individuals to personally experience a new domain. It is not a mere belief or a faith system.

The extent of the enthusiastic support and participation that the Yoga Day initiative has generated across countries has again revealed the inner longing among ordinary people to strive for something better to overcome daily stresses and to achieve greater balance in a contemporary world where this is becoming increasingly difficult. The large turnouts everywhere, including by young and old, clearly indicates our collective desire for a better more harmonious future, one that is peaceful and prosperous for all and that can be sustained over a longer term.

Yoga is no stranger to Mauritius. The Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations has facilities for learning Yoga. We are happy that a large number of Mauritians are availing of this opportunity. There are also a large number of other institutions who are active in teaching and promoting Yoga.

I would like to mention that in the lead up to today’s event, the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture collaborated with various partners in organizing a series of workshops on:

An overview of Yoga by Dr. Radha Keesoon,

Yoga, Ayurveda and Diet by Dr. Kalpana Ajoodheea,

Cleansing practices in Yoga and Naturopathy by Dr. Deepak, and

Yogotsava by Bihar School of Yoga

Before concluding, I would like to take this opportunity to extend our best wishes to the athletes of Mauritius in their preparations for the upcoming 10^th Indian Ocean Games due in a few weeks time here in Mauritius.

May I once again thank the Hon’ble Acting President for joining us here today and thank all of you for participating in the 5^th International Day of Yoga in Mauritius.