Yoga in Ahmedabad has true secular fabric, linked to Covid-related to immunity

Yoga in Ahmedabad has true secular fabric, linked to Covid-related to immunity

New Delhi 

It was sheer coincidence that one had landed in Ahmedabad on June 21, the day observed across the globe as International Day for Yoga.

Talk to Yoga enthusiasts for the day's events in various parts of the city, and everybody seemed to have developed a new thrill towards yoga. It is largely seen by many as alternative ways to achieve well being.

"The enthusiasm towards Yoga has increased manifold in recent times as many Covid patients got benefits of Yoga. Doctors started advising and the word spread fast that Yoga has helped some patients," says 34-old businessman Ibrahim Sulema, who runs a bakery outlet in Lal Darwaza locality of the city.

"My family members are today regular with Yoga, children love it and we have relatives who claimed to have saved themselves from Covid19 pandemic. Thanks to Yoga, there is nothing about religion or Hindu Gods involved in Yoga," he says.

Others also readily endorse. At Navrangpur area, former gym trainer Pulak Sen Desai now is also a Yoga guide. "My experience is people are linking yoga to health more than they used even five years back. I have people coming and telling me that ordinary pranayam asanas helped people with lungs and breathing problems. The keenness to learn Yoga increased especially after the pandemic," he says. 

Some say, Yoga helped them to prolonged stress and anxiety. These problems had increased during Covid and even post-pandemic as jobs were affected. But locals say - "we benefited from yoga".

A BJP supporter in another busy commercial area of the city says - "In many parts of Ahmedabad, there was a large scale Yoga enthusiasm on June 21 as happens every year. But today, people said adolescents use yoga to bring back focused attention".

Experts also say about 'yogic breathing' can bring overall improvement in the functioning of body systems.  

Moreover, the 'cardiovascular system' also get support from Yoga issues likearterial pressure, and contractility of the heart helped people.

A mega Yoga was organised at the Sabarmati River Front on June 21 early morning; and on June 20, the previous day, Chief Minister Bhupendra Parl released a booklet 'Vishwa Yog Diwas- Smanya Yog Abhuaskram'.

Among the neo-Yoga enthusiasts in the traders' paradise, Ahmedabad, is a mother of three children and her age 58.

"I am preparing for retirement soon. But there is stress and sleep disorder. So I was advised Yoga. I admit, I started it with reluctant keenness. But I was impressed, I found Yoga brought in quick sleep and also deep sleep. This was due to the aftereffects of exercise and the mental calming. I got stress relief  and sound sleep. I am a new person now," she adds. 

Dr Hemlata Roy says, "Biggest contribution Yoga can make is in your mind. It sharpens concentration and regular yoga practice helps create mental clarity and calmness. The increase in number of enthusiasts in today's ruthless competitive world is therefore not surprising".

According to a state government official, on many things Gujarat is showing example to the rest of India.

It is time, people's experience with Yoga in cities like Ahmedabad and Surat too is compiled and shared effectively. Yoga is certainly not a one-day event. One is convinced about this more from the experience of Ahmedabad citizens.

ends 

Left suffers further decimation in Tripura

As Left votes shifted enmasse towards Trinamool Congress, the communists today do not have any legislator in West Bengal - a state where they ruled for 35 years.
Is similar fate awaiting the communists in Tripura as well ? Morning shows the day - goes a saying.

Blogger in CPI-M office: 2018

Tripura bypolls, BJP wins three, Congress - one : Left decimated further

New Delhi

The 'Left' is left in the lurch ! Literally so. In Tripura by polls, while BJP could three out of four and one went to Congress strongman Sudip Roy Burman, the big picture takeaway if further decimation of the communists.

Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, Swapna Das Pal and Malina Debnath won their seats for the ruling

BJP, which is in power in the northeastern state for the first time since 2018.

Assembly elections are due in Tripura by February-March 2023 and these were truly almost semi-final.

BJP candidates Swapna Das Pal returned from Surma assembly sgment fighting against 

pro-tribal outfit TIPRA Motha and CPI-M, so did Malina Debnath at Jubarajnagar.

Chief Minister Dr Saha, who replaced Bplab Deb recently, defeated his nearest rival Congress candidate 

Asish Saha in politically sensitive Bordowali by a margin of 6,104 votes.  While Dr Saha got a total 17,181 votes,

Ashis Kumar Saha (Congress) got 11077. 

Notably, Left Front’s Forward Bloc candidate Raghunath Sarkar could win only 3376 votes while

Sanhita Banerjee of Trinamool Congress despite all hypes could win only 986 votes.

For Congress, veteran Sudip Roy Burman won the prestigious Agartala seat. In 2018, he had won the seat

as BJP nominee. He also served as Minister but later quit the party as the high command did not replace

Biplab Deb.

Though the elections in Tripura, onetime Marxists bastion, were muti-cornered, ultimately 

vote count show it largely ended up as battle between the BJP and the Congress.

Whether this would become a trend in the assembly elections due early next year remains to be seen.

Significantly enough, the Congress was nowhere in 2018 polls as most of its vote-share had moved

towards the saffron party kitty, but it has gained this time at the cost of communists support base.

If this becomes a trend, it would be sensational transition in Tripura's electoral history.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress which came to Tripura in 20121 with fanfare

and slogan ‘Didi ke chai’ ( Tripura wants Mamata Banerjee-didi) has been shown its 

marginalised position in more ways than one.

Following statistics show how the Left support base has declined sharply.

In the 2018 assembly elections, in Agartala seat, CPI-M’s Krishna Majumdar had got 17,852 votes-that is 

40.03 percent of total votes in her kitty.  This time it came down only 6,808 votes.

Sudip Roy Barman of Congress bagged 17,431 votes winning the seat. Notably, in 2018,

Congress polled only 638 votes.

The BJP nominee Dr Ashok Sinha time 14,268 votes.

In 2018 assembly election’s total votes of BJP was 25,234 votes that is  56.59 percent.

In Agartala, Trinamool Congress nominee Panna Deb got only 842 votes.

So the Left support base has clearly backed Congress veteran Sudip Roy Burman.

In Bordowali seat also, Forward Bloc candidate Biswanath Saha in 2018 had got 13,115.  

This time Forward Bloc candidate Raghunath Sarkar could win only 3,376.

So around 9,700 Left Front supporting electors this time shifted loyalties towards Congress.

In 2018, Congress candidate had got only 1,285 votes while this time Congress candidate Asish Saha 

got 11,077 votes. 

To a large extent, these trends reflect what went around with the Left parties in West Bengal in 2021

polls.