'Nobody is making yoga compulsory. If you don't want to do it, it is okay. Yoga has no religion.'
AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik on the controversies surrounding International Yoga Day.
International Yoga Day was celebrated on June 21 for the first time. Celebrated across the world, it did have its share of controversies in India.
The man in charge of the massive exercise was Minister for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy Shripad Naik.
The AYUSH minister, below, left, spoke to A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com about the controversies and his ministry's plans for yoga.
How much time was taken to plan the IYD?
We worked for two months. The main event was in New Delhi. It created two Guinness World Records -- one for the maximum number of participants and another for the maximum number of countries participating. There were people from 84 nations.
How much money was spent on the event?
We undertook training in 650 districts for one month. We spent Rs 25 crores, 30 crores (Rs 250 million, Rs 300 million) approximately. The actual figures have not come in.
Critics complain the government needlessly politicised yoga which belongs to all of India, and that you turned yoga day into a BJP affair with yoga gurus close to the ruling establishment being involved.
Our party did not celebrate it. The Government of India celebrated it. The Government of India belongs to the whole country. Let me remind you that 193 countries accepted it.
You are planning to have accreditation of yoga teachers. How will this system work?
Many institutions impart yoga education. We have sent a request to the Quality Council of India to certify the courses. It is not compulsory. Many ashrams teach yoga. It is up to them to decide whether they want to apply or not.
Again, through this, aren't you putting yoga, which is as diverse and multi-faceted as India itself, into a strait-jacket? This is like saying, this is how yoga should be taught, so it's your way or the highway?
We are trying to make it centralised. There will be a yoga university and everything will be done through that university.
Although many ministers performed yoga that day, your colleagues look unfit. Is there any move on the government's part to tackle this?
Ministers will be asked to join various programmes. They will also be trained. Yoga is a preventive medicine.
Why was Vice-President Hamid Ansari not invited to the event in the capital?
We had invited Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi to be the chief guest. The vice-president is above him in protocol, so he was not invited.
Was dropping Surya Namaskar from the list of asanas a good idea?
Some people opposed it. There are thousands of asanas. So it doesn't matter if we drop one. We told them they could take the name of Allah in place of Surya. There is no difference.
Was getting the event into the Guinness Book of World Records so important?
We had the space for the record. We had enough people for the record. So we applied.
While you say participation is voluntary, why are some states making yoga compulsory in schools?
Nobody is making it compulsory. If you don't want to do it, it is okay. It is for your betterment.
Yoga has no religion. It is for everybody.
Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thousands of Indians perform yoga at Rajpath, June 21, International Yoga Day.
