United Nations may declare yoga to be Indian heritage

LONDON: Yoga may soon be declared an intangible cultural heritage of India.

In an exclusive interview, a day before her first bilateral meeting with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in Paris, UNESCO director general Irina Bokova said that yoga is in the list of elements to be considered by the Intangible Heritage Committee for inscription on UNESCO's register.

Modi was instrumental in getting the United Nations to declare June 21 as the International Yoga Day endorsed by 175 out of 193 members and is expected to unveil a portal on yoga in France on April 10.

Bokova told TOI "a lot of my friends have benefitted immensely both spiritually and physically by practising yoga in difficult times. It is a unique living tradition of India. UNESCO's general conference in October will also look to endorse the international yoga day as spearheaded by prime minster Modi".

According to Bokova who is the first woman to lead UNESCO and is now serving her second term, yoga will come up for inscription in front of the inter-governmental committee for safe guarding intangible cultural heritage in 2016.

"It is multi-faceted philosophy and tradition that unifies mind, body and soul. I have read a lot about yoga and tried it too. I know that PM Modi practises yoga regularly," Bokova added.

If selected, yoga will become the 31st intangible cultural heritage that has been listed from India so far with UNESCO.

The permanent delegation of India to UNESCO recently began yoga classes for all ambassadors, delegations and secretariat at UNESCO.

The Indian misson said "Yoga is practiced by 250 million worldwide, including the three million in France. This art of right living was perfected and practiced in India thousands of years ago and the foundations of yoga philosophy were written down in the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali in 200 AD".

The Buddhist chanting of Ladakh - recitation of sacred Buddhist texts was inscribed in 2012 as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. In 2013, Sankirtana - the ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur was inscribed while in 2014, it was the traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab.

The famous Chhau dance was inscribed in 2010 on the list.