Modi's Yoga Day is an upper caste, middle class fad
Yoga's main attraction is that it offers mental and physical well-being
On June 21, International Day of Yoga was celebrated with much fanfare utilising the popularity of yoga which already existed worldwide before the present BJP government came to power. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has only been able to market it as of uniquely Indian origin.
The United Nations has also acknowledged it by agreeing to dedicate June 21 for this cause since 2015. It definitely holds a great symbolic value.
Yoga's main attraction is that it offers mental and physical well-being, a rather scarce commodity in the modern society globally. Apart from this, it is like any other stream of spiritualism which offer solace at an individual level.
But what is the achievement beyond that? How is celebrating yoga internationally going to solve any of our national or international problems? Does it even have a collective value? Most people take it up for purely individual health reasons.
India's Permanent Mission to the UN organised an event titled, "Yoga for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals" this time.
Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs were adopted by the UN General Assembly on July 19, 2014 as a desirable set of 17 goals or targets which countries around the world have to achieve by 2030.
These goals mainly include ending of poverty and hunger, achievement of food security, promotion of sustainable agriculture, ensuring healthy lives, ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education, achievement of gender equality, ensuring availability of water and sanitation for all, promoting inclusive and sustainable economic development, ensuring work for all, reducing inequality, ensuring sustainable production and consumption, combating climate change, conserving oceans and forests and providing access to justice for all.
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| 90 per cent of Indians are engaged in hard labour to earn their living. This population doesn't need yoga to be physically fit. |
It is not clear how yoga is going to help achieve this ambitious set of goals. From among the above set of objectives, it has a direct role only in "ensuring healthy lives" and that too only for a restricted section of population.
The danger is that yoga can give us a sense of complacency. Most of the above-mentioned problems require serious policy making exercise based on concrete research followed by strong political will for implementation of right kind of policies and programmes.
Despite our best efforts, we're going to fall ruefully short of the declared goals by the time 2030 arrives. Creating confusion that yoga has any role in solving these problems is an avoidable distraction. This is a typically Narendra Modi programme - high on publicity, low in content.
90 per cent of Indians, and a significant population around the world is engaged in hard labour to earn its living. This population doesn't need yoga, nor do they feature in any of the high-profile collective organisation of yoga sessions. You will hardly find these people signing up for paid or unpaid yoga classes.
Yoga is primarily meant only for the educated class. Only 10 per cent of Indian students make it to college level education beyond their schooling. This constitutes the middle class still dominated by upper caste, which willingly or unwillingly, becomes part of the ruling elite.
This group is cut off from physical labour because of the nature of education that they have received, and hence need yoga or any exercise to keep themselves fit.
Most people belonging to this category have sedentary jobs or jobs involving little physical work. The nature of their work is too mundane. Therefore, they need to take time out to engage in physical activity or an activity which can be mentally refreshing.
Some of them take up sports or jogging in the morning or evening. Some prefer cycling or swimming. With increasing prices of fossil fuels, now more bicycles can be seen on the road. Even the government is promoting cycle tracks.
Mahatma Gandhi used to spin a charkha. While the important reason was "Swadeshi" ideology, but another reason might have been to associate oneself with production activity in at least one of the three areas of primary economy - food, clothing, shelter - which fulfill basic needs of human being.
Mahatma Gandhi's idea of education was to involve learning some useful production activity too along with reading, writing and mathematics. However, this idea could not become part of our education system and we adopted an essentially British model which was meant only to produce people who could help run the administrative system of the government.
It is not surprising that Civil Services remains such an active proposal for educated youth, especially in north India, whereas a small number of students opt for higher education and research careers.
People who have figured out some method of keeping themselves physically engaged will not feel the need of doing yoga. Its importance must not be overemphasised and its role must not be exaggerated. People will do it voluntarily and at an individual level.
The PM and the government have more pressing problems to worry about, like price rise, rather than be part of some kind of international jamboree with only a symbolic value.
The timing of announcement of opening up of civil aviation and defence sectors for 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), on the eve of Yoga Day, also raises certain doubts about the government's intention.
This move is definitely not in India's national interest, and it is quite possible that the time was so chosen that any criticism would be drowned in the mood of jubilation on Yoga Day.