Nitish Kumar let India down by boycotting International Yoga Day

One hundred ninety three countries across the world and all the states in India are observing the second United Nations International Day of Yoga on June 21. But only Nitish Kumar's Bihar was an exception in choosing not to celebrate the day of India's pride. Instead, and quite ridiculously, he has chosen to celebrate World Music Day.

The Bihar chief minister had a bizarre reason to not celebrate the occasion, which also falls on Summer Solstice.

"Yoga is a natural treatment process but liquor addicts cannot perform it. Yoga would be irrelevant unless a ban is imposed on sale of liquor across the country," he said at a meeting in the Palamau district of Jharkhand on June 19.

One fails to comprehend what a nationwide ban on liquor had to do with Nitish's decision not to observe Yoga Day. It has been accorded recognition by no less than the United Nations through adoption of a resolution on December 11, 2014.

Also read: Yoga Day is Modi government's way of reclaiming India's traditional culture

Contrary to the CM's reasoning, yoga would be more helpful to Bihar after the imposition of liquor ban in the state on April 1. Yoga, followed by liquor ban, is a natural corollary. Both go hand-in-hand. However, on the one hand, Nitish banned liquor for the good mental and physical health of the people of the state. On the other hand, he is depriving them of the mental and physical benefits of yoga, which has been recognised by the international community.

Whether or not liquor is banned in all the states, Nitish should have pursued yoga with more vigour than the others. It is because yoga is Bihar's pride. One of the oldest schools of yoga in the world - the Bihar School of Yoga (BSY) - was founded in Munger in 1964 by Swami Satyananda Saraswati to impart yogic training to householders and sannyasins alike. But Nitish has disappointed the Biharis by depriving them the opportunity to carry forward the good work done by the BSY.

Also read - No yoga for you, you're Muslim: Modi sarkar's bigotry exposed

The Bihar CM's decision to observe Fête de la Musique or World Music Day instead of Yoga Day is absurd. Having originated in France in 1982, Music Day is just 34-years-old and is observed only in 120 countries.

Only one reason explains Bihar's strange decision: Nitish's extreme dislike for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is credited with making June 21 as the International Yoga Day.

"The Centre is spending huge money on promotion of yoga. It has converted yoga into a political 'akhara' (wrestling ground), whereas the fact is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is using it for self-branding," said JD(U) spokesperson Sanjay Singh.

Nitish's hatred for Modi is understandable but denying nearly 100 million people of the state the fruits of a useful and ancient practice is ridiculous.