With this year’s theme, "Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family", Bhavans Indian Education School celebrated the International Yoga Day on June 20, 2020, on its virtual platform under the aegis of the Department of Physical Education. The Bhavanites rolled out their mats to bend and twist their bodies in complex postures from the safety of their homes to practice yoga, a one-size-fits-all solution to fight stress and to alleviate the other ailments including depression and anxiety amid the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic.

The one-hour programme started off at 9 a.m. with the recitation of a few verses from the Holy Quran by Sahal Ansar of 10B, followed by the rendition of the Kuwait National Anthem and the prayer song. The event exclusively organised for the teachers and the student council members of IES was emceed by Adhityan Rajesh Nair, the Deputy Head Boy and Zara Imtiaz, the Deputy Head Girl who gave a brief introduction to the International Yoga Day, accompanied by a video presentation on the significance of celebrating it every year on June 21. Adrian Peter, the Sports Captain, welcomed the Chief Guest, Prof. S. Muthu, the founder and coordinator of Qatar SKY (Simplified Kundalini Yoga) and the in-charge of Kuwait SKY, Mr. N.K Ramachandran Menon, the Chairman, Bhavans Middle East, Mr. T. Premkumar, the Principal, IES, Mrs. Rathi Raveendran, the Principal, Jack and Jill, Mrs. Anselma Tessy Judeson, the Vice Principal, Senior Wing, Mrs. Jaemi Byju, the Vice Principal, Middle Wing, Mrs. Lalitha Premkumar, the Vice Principal, Primary and Kindergarten, and Mrs. Meenakshi Nayyar, the Vice Principal , Co-Curricular Activities, to the function.

The Gayatri mantra was chanted by Leya Kurian of 12 A followed by the demonstration of Surya Namaskar led by Ms. Madhusmita Acharya, a teacher from the Primary Wing, and the supreme council members. The Chief Guest, Prof. S. Muthu, while delivering the key-note speech on the topic, “Success in Motion”, explained the importance of practicing yoga to enjoy the life to the fullest and to be successful in life. He continued by stating that the root cause of all the problems is mental depression. He also reiterated the importance of yoga in our day-to-day life as it leads to the harmony of body, mind and life-energy. Prof. Muthu defined good health as the way of keeping ones physical, mental, emotional and social health in tandem. He highlighted the importance of performing yoga daily as the Intelligence, Emotional and Spiritual Quotients depend on the Physical Quotient of a person. He also underscored the importance of breathing exercises as the studies say that only 2% of the population breathes properly and this improper breathing leads to various health hazards. He made the audience understand that breathing exercises keep the body’s balance in perfect condition.

A live demonstration of ‘yogasanas’ was performed by Avaneeshwar V. of 8 B. with the guidance of Prof. Muthu. All the teachers from the Department of Physical Education and the student council members performed the asanas along with Avaneeshwar. Prof. Muthu concluded his speech by saying that all the human beings are the captains of their lives, so all should practise yoga to be successful in life and to lead a happy life.

Mr. N. K. Ramachandran Menon, the Chairman, Bhavans Middle East, while addressing the gathering, wholeheartedly thanked Prof. Muthu for presenting the informative session. He also emphasized the importance of practicing yoga, and stated that he is a true believer of yoga and he practises yoga seriously. Following the speech, he released a video presentation which was dedicated to all the health workers and frontline workers who fight hard to contain the pandemic COVID 19. The video comprised the singing of the song “Hold on don’t let go” by a team of senior students of IES. The vote of thanks was proposed by Diya S. Lal, the Deputy Sports Captain, who expressed her deep gratitude to the Department of Physical Education headed by Dr. Murugaiyan Subbarayalu K. Samy and everyone who had helped make the event a grant success. The celebration drew to a close with the singing of the Indian National Anthem.