Indo-Tibetan Border Police Jawans Celebrating International Yoga Day

Determined to perform Yoga in sub-zero temperatures in Ladakh and North Sikkim

By Mehr Sohal

On the 21st of June 2020 (6th International Yoga day), most people and leaders performed yoga at home amid the looming pandemic. The United Nations theme for this year's celebration of yoga is "Yoga for Health - Yoga at Home".

However, ITBP personnel in both Ladakh and North Sikkim paid their tribute to this day in sub-zero temperatures (at an altitude of around 18,000 - 18,800 feet). The jawans also showed their support for International Yoga day at the Vasundhara glacier in Uttarakhand (height of 14,000 feet). I can't even imagine how difficult it would be to perform Surya namaskar amongst other asanas on snow-clad Himalayan peaks of the Indo-China border. However, the defence force, as always, has surprised us.

Much like these jawans made time out of their busy schedules in the midst of both a global pandemic and a conflict between India and China, to focus on the serenity and calming effect of yoga; we must look at the underlying positivity in life, even through dark times.

Indian Army's JKLI Battalian performing yoga in Srinagar