NEW DELHI, INDIA, April 18, 2015 (Times of India): To make yoga an aam [Hindi for “common,” as in “common man”] lifestyle choice in a country where religious symbolism often attracts high-voltage political controversies, Modi Sarkar is dropping all references to Om — the traditional mystical invocation related to Hindu spirituality and yoga practice — in its coming high-powered promotion of this ancient discipline. Senior officials involved in the government’s extensive preparations to celebrate the June 21 International Yoga Day told ET that the brief is to keep the effort “free of controversy.” Therefore, there will be no reference to aum in the 33-minute Common Yoga Protocol that’s been prepared by the department of AYUSH (ayurveda, yoga & naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy), as well as all literature and video being prepared for the June 21 celebration.
“It has to be kept in mind that the idea of the International Yoga Day is to take yoga to the global stage,” a top government official involved in preparations told ET. The Modi government’s decision is significant not only in the light of recent religion-related political controversies but also global debates about yoga’s religious identity. Court battles have been fought in the US over whether yoga propagates religion and although the discipline’s global popularity is substantial and growing, the question hasn’t completely gone away.