The Indian AYUSH Ministry has charted out a wide variety of programmes to be aired through electronic and digital platforms on the International Yoga Day (IYD) falling on June 21 even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted citizens to pursue the ancient art in building a “protective shield” of immunity against coronavirus.

"We all know that until now nowhere in the world have they been able to develop a vaccine for Covid-19 or coronavirus. Which is why right now, only a strong immunity can act as a protective shield or a bodyguard for us and our family members... yoga is our trusted friend in building this protective shield (of immunity)," Modi said in a video published ahead of Sunday’s event.

It was Modi who initially proposed the observance of International Yoga Day to the United Nations back in 2014. The same got approved and the UN started observing the day every year from 2015.

The Prime Minister’s remarks will be televised on all national channels at 6:30 am on June 21. The message will be followed by a live demonstration of the 45-minute Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) by the team from Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY). It will be followed by discussion with Yoga experts who will speak on the various health benefits of the ancient healing system.

“The drill of CYP has been designed keeping people of different age-groups and of varied walks of life in mind. Those who get trained in CYP are likely to develop a taste and attitude for yoga, and hence may pursue it in the long term,” the ministry said in a statement.

The observation of IDY in the past years has been marked by thousands of harmonious mass demonstrations of Yoga in public places. Due to the current global health emergency due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the focus this year is less on such celebrations and more on the people performing Yoga at their respective homes with participation of the entire family.

“Yoga is found to be especially relevant in the pandemic situation, since its practice leads to both physical and mental wellbeing, and increases the individual’s ability to fight diseases,” it said.

Ministry of AYUSH, the nodal Ministry for observation of International Day of Yoga across the country, has been fostering and facilitating the trend of practicing Yoga at Home during Covid-19 crisis through various online and hybrid-online initiatives in the last three months. Many leading Yoga institutions have joined forces with the Ministry in this effort. Such activities have intensified in the last one month with added focus of training in Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) which is followed by participants of IDY every year for ensuring harmony in the mass demonstrations of Yoga.