In some countries, Yoga celebrations collided with Eid celebrations which led several Muslims participating in Yoga day celebrations on the morning of Eid in the hustle- bustle of Eid last week.
One such country was Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH) where a large part of the population was on fast and spending time and celebrating with their family and close friends, but people still stepped out to participate in Yoga Day celebrations. Embassy of India in Bosnia & Herzegovina, despite the festivities that surrounded the biggest festival of the Muslims, was able to generate enough enthusiasm amongst the population to ensure large-scale participation.
The 4th International Day of Yoga (IDY) was celebrated in seven cities of Bosnia & Herzegovina, i.e. Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Foca, Mostar, Tuzla, Zavidovici and Zenica. Celebrations were spread over two days from 16-17th June, 2018. The celebration showcased Yoga, Indian cultural performances, henna painting and Indian cuisines.
In Sarajevo, IDY was jointly inaugurated by Dr Irena Hadziabdic, Chief Election Commissioner of Bosnia & Herzegovina and Ambassador Rahul Chhabra. After cultural performances, the audience along with the Ambassador and Chief Election Commissioner participated in the Common Yoga Protocol session.
Among the nominees of Yoga Ambassadors by the Embassy were Razija Mujanovic, renowned basketball player of Bosnia & Herzegovina and Selma Muhedinovic, renowned singer (wife of a former member of Presidency), who also participated at the event and practiced yoga.
On the request of Chief Election Commissioner of Bosnia & Herzegovina, the Embassy will be conducting special classes for the staff of Chief Election Commission for stress management.
Mayors in several other cities inaugurated IDY and performed yoga sessions with the participants. In all cities, IDY was organized with the collaboration of local Mayor’s offices. IDY was celebrated in Banja Luka, second largest city of BiH, where Yoga has a tremendous following. Earlier, Mayor of Banjaluka, Igor Radojicic had inaugurated the cultural performances at the cultural centre.
In Foca, IDY celebrations were organized at Trg Petra Krajla Square, an open square in the heart of the city. The audience took great interest in yoga and cultural performances. IDY was celebrated in Tuzla, the third largest city of BiH where the event was jointly inaugurated by Jasmin Imamović, Mayor of Tuzla and Ambassador Rahul Chhabra.
In Zenica, IDY was jointly inaugurated by Fuad Kasumovic, Mayor of Zenica and Ambassador Rahul Chhabra. Ambassador and Mayor also participated in yoga session and the Mayor of Zenica was so impressed by cultural performances and yoga session that he announced that he is going to invite the Indian Embassy again to perform in their national theatre.
The Indian Ambassador to BiH, Rahul Chhabra, said, “Despite being Eid, wherein India and Bosnia & Herzegovina are both multi-ethnic, multicultural and pluralistic societies. The diversity in our inner structures provides us with resilience to appreciate and understand the vibrancy of different cultural ethos. BiH is admired for its picturesque locales, the industrious nature of its people and its European aspirations. Indian soap operas, films, dance and of course yoga are very popular in the country.”
