Connect with us

Feature

Yoga world hails UN move on Yoga Day, praises Modi

Published

on

New Delhi: Yoga experts around India — its birthplace — Friday hailed the UN decision to declare June 21 as the International Yoga Day, saying it would greatly boost the ancient Indian science.

Several experts and yoga practitioners also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the initiative to persuade the international body to embrace yoga.

“We are very excited and happy. It will help in the promotion of yoga within India in a big way,” Pratibha Agarwal, one of India’s few teachers registered by Yoga Alliance, USA, told IANS in Hyderabad.

“Any initiative taken to promote yoga is a very big step. Better late than never,” she added.

Keshava Taylor of Ananda Sangha, a Canadian who has taught Kriya Yoga in India since 2003, told IANS: “With the science of yoga and self-realization, India has made the greatest contribution to mankind’s evolution. It is indeed gratifying to see such widespread acknowledgement of her gift.

“In the practice of yoga, and especially meditation, lies the solutions to our world’s greatest problems. Change in society starts with transforming ourselves from within. Yoga shows the way.”

It is a point Modi too made after 175 out of 193 members of the UN agreed Wednesday to declare the International Yoga Day, saying the benefits of practising yoga would benefit people’s health.

An elated Modi said: “This will inspire many more people towards yoga. Yoga has the power to bring the entire humankind together. It beautifully combines Gyan (knowledge), Karm (work) and Bhakti (devotion).”

In Goa, teacher Kamlesh Bandekar said yoga could help the world live the philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (World is One Family).

“It is a proud moment for us that yoga has been recognised in a formal way internationally.

“If yoga is performed every day everywhere, the world can be a better place. Yoga is for peace of mind and body health. If one is healthy and at peace, there will be no trouble,” Bandekar said.

“It is excellent news,” added Chennai-based S. Sridharan of the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram. He said that yoga needed commitment and that even doctors practised yoga today.

Ever since yoga guru Patanjali came out with his teachings in a bygone era, millions have taken to the path. Some 250 million people in the world practise yoga, over 20 million in the US alone.

In Haridwar, eminent yoga exponent Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji told the media: “Today is a historic day. It illustrates that people from all walks of life, all backgrounds and all over the world are embracing yoga.”

He said June 21 happened to be the Summer Solstice, “a beautiful time of the year when a majority of the world’s population, living in the northern hemisphere, enjoys the longest day with the most amount of sunshine”.

Experts pointed out the numerous benefits of doing yoga.

“Yoga reduces the number of ailments and health problems such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity amongst many others,” Saraswatiji said. “This drastically reduces the amount of costs spent on health care.”

Lucknow-based teachers Shruti Sinha and Sujit Jha said other health benefits included better eyesight and concentration, weight loss, minimizing pain in cases of arthritis, joint pains and spondylitis, and tackling other lifestyle diseases like stress and blood pressure.

Added Anil Juneja, a new age yoga guru in Chandigarh: “Yoga is the best exercise which keeps the body and mind clean. The best thing is that it can be done anywhere, any time, and it does not require any equipment or machines.”

Suraj Kanekar, who practices yoga in Goa’s temple town Ponda, said that for a long time yoga had to fight a battle of misperception. “Yoga is a beautiful journey. You can enjoy your body internally.”

Experts say beginners can start with just 15 minutes of yoga daily.

Said Hyderabad’s Pratibha Agarwal: “Even if one is doing it for just 15 minutes, he should do it with concentration. Yoga is not only physical. It is not only mental. It is holistic living.”

(Mohammed Shafeeq, Sanu George, Quaid Najmi, Alok Singh, Mayabhushan Nagvenkar, V. Jagannathan, Mohit Dubey, Imran Khan and Jaideep Sarin contributed to this story.)

Entertainment

Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists

Published

on

By

PureWin Online Betting

The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index

Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.

The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports

Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.

All for the Tourists

The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.

“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.

To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.

Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market

With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.

Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).

Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.

Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.

Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting

Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.

Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.

The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.

If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.

Continue Reading

Trending