International Yoga Day 2022 saw the Guardian Ring programme being conducted across many countries. This was testimony to the rising soft power of India in global affairs. In this article, you can understand what the concept of the exercise Guardian Ring was and other details about it for the UPSC exam.
Guardian Ring Programme
As announced by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat Programme, the Guardian Ring celebrated the movement of the sun, underlying the concept of “One Sun, One earth”.
- A unique and innovative programme was envisaged for the 8th edition of “International Yoga Day 2022” – The Guardian Ring.
- It was a collaborative exercise between 79 countries and United Nations organisations along with Indian Missions abroad to illustrate yoga’s unifying power that surpasses national boundaries.
- From east to west, people from all countries welcomed the sun with yoga, celebrating the Indian tradition of Surya Namaskar (Sun salutation) on June 21st.
- It started in Fiji in the east and ended in San Francisco, USA.
- This one-of-a-kind programme was telecasted live exclusively on DD India – the International channel of India’s Public Broadcaster Prasar Bharti. The extensive technical, production and engineering arrangements made by DD India, ensured the seamless streaming of 80 Yoga events from around the world in a marathon broadcast from 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. IST.
- The mammoth programme involved collaboration with the Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of External Affairs, apart from coordination with individual Indian Missions and Embassies.
Know the background, origin and history of Yoga as a cultural export of India in the linked article.
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
- The historic programme carried India’s message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (to treat the world as one family) and showcased the unification power of India’s Yoga tradition.
- The phrase Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is made up of three Sanskrit words, Vasudhaa (earth/world), iva (like) and kutumbakam (large/extended family). The verse finds mention in Maha Upanishad (VI.72), and is further referred to in the Hitopadesha and other literary works of India.
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