'Chanting Om on Yoga Day not mandatory'

Amid row over chanting of ‘Om’ before yoga session on International Yoga Day, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said it is not mandatory.

He said it is just a sort of exercise or discipline which unifies the body and the mind and has been accepted even by the International community.

"Entire world observed the International Yoga Day last year. It was a clear acknowledgement of ancient Indian wisdom. Yoga is a sort of exercise or discipline unifying body and mind.

"Do not make Yoga controversial. If you don’t want to say ‘Om’, don’t say. It is not mandatory,” he said while addressing the valedictory session of the National Conference on ‘Reforming and Rejuvenating Indian Higher Education -- A stakeholders Perspective’ in New Delhi.

On Tuesday, the controversy broke out over University Grants Commission’s directive asking universities and colleges to follow Ayush ministry’s yoga protocol that begins with chanting of ‘Om’ and some Sanskrit sholakas during Yoga Day celebrations on June 21.

In his letter to universities last week, UGC secretary Jaspal S Sandhu had sought the ‘personal indulgence’ of vice chancellors in celebrating Yoga Day in their varsities as well as affiliated bodies.

Talking about the disturbances in various varsities across the country, he said the problems occurred in ‘just 3-4 universities’ out of the total 740 varsities but it was painted as if the entire country was under ‘unrest’.