Netherlands to observe Intn'l Yoga Day on June 17

Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, violin maestro L Subramaniam and Bollywood playback singer Kavita Krishnamurthy will be part of an international Yoga day celebration to be held in the Netherlands this month, Indian embassy here said today.

The capital Amsterdam's prestigious Museumplein (public space) will host the biggest international Yoga day celebration ever held in the Netherlands on June 17, with a number of Dutch and Indian dignitaries expected to attend the event.

The celebration, organised at the initiative of the India embassy, will include a whole day wellness festival with mass yoga demonstrations, meditation sessions, music, dance and vegetarian as well as vegan food on offer, the embassy statement said.

The event will be opened by Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Cora van Nieuwenhuizen; Mayor of Amsterdam Jozias van Aartsen, spiritual guru Shankar and India's Ambassador to the Netherlands Venu Rajamony, it said.

Following the inauguration, there will be a group session on traditional Indian yoga, followed by a talk and meditation session led by Shankar.

Yoga demonstrations will then be interspersed with cultural programmes on Indian dance and music for the rest of the day, the statement said.

Well-known Dutch yoga teacher Johan Noorloos will conduct a workshop followed by Patty Jogenmaets of Dolfijn Wellness Amsterdam who will lead a special family yoga session for parents and children, it said.

Food trucks providing vegetarian and vegan food and non-alcoholic beverages will cater to the visitors throughout the day, it added.

The grand finale in the evening will be a music concert called 'The Soul Shanti Concert' featuring Subramaniam and singer Krishnamurthy.

The UN General Assembly passed a resolution on December 11, 2014 at the initiative of India, declaring June 21 as the international day of yoga.

The resolution calls upon governments and people all over the world to observe this day and to raise awareness of the benefits of practising yoga.