Mysore/Mysuru: Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his office yesterday and invited him to inaugurate the International Yoga Day celebrations in Mysuru on June 21 this year. He was accompanied by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, who facilitated the meeting.

In a press release, the MP has stated that he had highlighted the importance of Mysuru in spreading yoga far and wide.

“Famed for being the birthplace of Ashtanga Yoga, Mysuru is the perfect location to learn and practise this fairly dynamic form of yoga. Mysuru has a rich history of contributing to the preservation, development and promotion of yoga practices through the teachings of great personalities like Pattabhi Jois and others. Nowadays, tens of thousands of people across the globe are benefiting from the practice of yoga which is blossoming and growing more vibrant every day,” the MP said in his request letter to the PM.

“Mysuru is a hub of learning, practising, and teaching yoga. Several renowned yogic scholars and gurus have established bases here and nurtured the art to reach global levels. Ever since the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga in 2015, Mysuru has been observing this day in a befitting manner, by mobilising tens of thousands of people from all walks of life to demonstrate social responsibility towards making a difference in the local community by creating a culture of wellness,” Simha said.

“Mysuru created a world record in 2017 through the participation of over 55,506 people. The Mysuru District Administration, Nehru Yuva Kendra (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India), Yoga networking organisations, NGOs, educational institutions and other inter-connected departments collaborated in this programme,” he said inviting the Prime Minister.