Say hello to yoga, goodbye to stress: Bengal guv Jagdeep Dhankhar

The sixth International Yoga Day was observed with gusto at various places in Bengal on Sunday, as authorities of educational institutes, and several leaders urged people to adopt a healthy lifestyle to keep stress and anxiety at bay, amid the COVID-19 crisis.

This year, the theme selected for the international event is 'Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family'. Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar marked the day by practising yoga at Raj Bhavan, along with wife.

"Yoga at home, yoga with family. Participate in yoga practice. (Say) Hello to yoga, goodbye to stress. De-stress feel fresh. Spread happiness. Yoga will scare Covid," Dhankhar said in a tweet.

BJP state president Dilip Ghosh performed yoga at Nicco Park with a handful of volunteers, while maintaining social distancing norms. His party colleagues, Sayantan Basu and Rahul Sinha, practised the asanas at their homes. Several state universities have requested students to share videos and photographs of them performing yoga at home.

"Many of our students have sent videos. We observe this day, every year. This year, we will post the videos on our website," Calcutta University Pro-Vice Chancellor Minakshi Roy told PTI.

At Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT) of West Bengal, Vice Chancellor Saikat Maitra hosted a webinar, encouraging everyone to practise yoga at home. Assistant Registrar Anup Mukherjee said, "As everyone remains confined at home in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic, yoga gives the opportunity to boost one's immunity and well being."

Similarly, at IIT-Kharagpur, 50 campus residents celebrated International Yoga Day by conducting a workshop, which was streamed online for students.