No 'Suryanamaskar' this Yoga Day, 'Om' not compulsory: Govt

June 08, 2016 19:33

'Suryanamaskar asana' will not be part of this year's Yoga Day celebrations and chanting of 'Om' won't be compulsory even though Yoga is incomplete without it, Ayush Minister Shripad Naik said today about the June 21 event which is expected entail a collective cost of hundreds of crores of rupees.

"The Suryanamaskar asana...last year also we had not taken it. It is a complex exercise. It is difficult to do in 45 minutes and for people who are new to the exercise. Therefore we have not kept this one," Naik, whose ministry is the nodal agency for organising the annual celebrations, told the media.

There has been a controversy over this asana, with Muslim groups saying their faith does not allow such a practice.

The International Yoga Day is celebrated on June 21 since last year, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking a lead in this. Modi performed the Yoga at Rajpath here last year and this time, he will do so in Chandigarh.

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