Bhubaneswar: A week-long Yoga festival has been launched at the Kalinga Stadium here on Monday, marking the official countdown to the 12th International Yoga Day celebrations scheduled for June 21. The initiative aims to promote yoga as a daily wellness practice while strengthening public participation in health and community well-being.
The festival, jointly organised by the Sports and Youth Services Department and the Odisha Yoga Mahotsav Samiti, was inaugurated at the Indoor Athletics Centre of Kalinga Stadium by Sports Minister Suryabanshi Suraj and Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the department Bhupendra Singh Poonia.
Daily yoga camps will be conducted from June 15 to June 20, culminating in a large-scale state-level celebration at Kalinga Stadium on International Yoga Day.
The initiative is being organised under the guidance of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and coordinated by officials of the Odisha Yoga Mahotsav Samiti, including Alok Das, Dr Debakanta Behera and Premananda Nath.
Addressing participants at the inaugural event, Sports Minister Suryabanshi Suraj stressed the importance of incorporating yoga into everyday life rather than limiting it to annual observances.
“Today, we practised yoga and pranayama for an hour. However, yoga should not remain confined to a single occasion. It must become a daily habit. Individual health forms the foundation of a healthy society, and yoga remains one of the best paths to physical and mental well-being,” he said.
The minister highlighted that International Yoga Day, observed globally on June 21, has evolved into a worldwide movement under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the broader objective behind the campaign is to promote collective wellness and strengthen the idea of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ — the belief that the world is one family.
According to an official release, Odisha is making special efforts this year to expand yoga outreach and participation across urban, rural and border areas of the state. The programme also seeks to integrate modern technology into wellness initiatives by encouraging the use of digital platforms, mobile applications and Artificial Intelligence-based tools to make yoga more accessible to citizens.
The government believes technology-driven participation will help cultivate greater awareness among young people and encourage them to adopt healthier lifestyles.
Last year, Odisha had witnessed participation from more than 10,000 people during International Yoga Day celebrations organised under the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Authorities expect significantly higher participation this year through grassroots campaigns and digital engagement initiatives.
The Union Ministry of Ayush, in collaboration with the Odisha government, is also working to popularise standard yoga protocols among people living in remote and underserved regions. Officials indicated that a larger nationwide digital participation effort may also contribute towards creating a new Guinness World Record through simultaneous online engagement.
Senior officials, including Special Secretary Ashok Kumar Panda, Additional Secretaries Bijay Kumar Swain and Sudhakar Nayak, along with other departmental officers, were present at the inaugural programme.
