BHUBANESWAR: Braving intermittent rain, a large number of people across the State joined rest of the world in observing the first International Yoga Day on Sunday.
Around 3,000 people including a host of prominent personalities took part in a yoga session organised by Directorate of Ayush in the Health and Family Welfare Department in association with National Cadet Corps (NCC) at Kalinga stadium here.
Prominent among those present at the event were Ministers of State for Health and Family Welfare Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, MP Prasanna Patsani, MLA Priyadarshi Mishra and Mayor of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Anant Narayan Jena.
Several senior officers of the State Government including Chief Secretary GC Pati, Health Secretary Arati Ahuja, Mission Director of National Health Mission Rupa Mishra and Director, Sports Ananta Kishore Jena also attended the special yoga session.
NCC cadets from many districts of the State, who attended the session, performed yoga on the special occasion.
All the leaders highlighted the importance of yoga, considered as an ancient form of exercise, in maintaining physical and mental fitness.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram participated in the function organised at Jeypore in Koraput district on the occasion.
Similarly, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan attended the International Yoga Day celebrations at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Cuttack.
Mass yoga sessions were organised in different places where Ministers and other leaders participated as their presence would encourage youngsters to undertake the unique exercise regularly, said a senior official.
Several educational institutions including universities, colleges and schools also held special yoga sessions to mark the day. The day was also observed at the Central University of Orissa on its campus at Landguda in Koraput.
Yoga was also practised under the guidance of Prof Kishore Chandra Raut, Dean-Academics of the University, who is an ardent follower of yoga. Members of Prayaas Yoga Application and Research Institute, organised a special yoga session at Kalinga Budha Vihar in the city.
