The Nagaland Government has deferred the official programme to mark International Day of Yoga to Monday in the face of strong opposition from student bodies, tribal organisations, church and political bodies over holding the event on a Sunday in the Christian-majority State.
The School Education Department issued a revised order, directing the Directorate of School Education to postpone the observance of the day in all institutions to June 22.
The decision came after widespread objections to an earlier directive that had instructed both Government and private schools to organise Yoga Day programmes on June 21, ensure participation of students and staff, and submit reports along with GPS-tagged photographs.
The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) had described the previous directive as insensitive to the religious sentiments of Nagaland’s predominantly Christian population.
The federation argued that Sunday is a sacred day of worship and that compelling schools to organise yoga programmes amounted to disregarding the constitutional rights and beliefs of the people.
The Central Nagaland Tribes Council had stated that educational institutions should not be compelled to participate in programmes perceived to have religious or cultural connotations inconsistent with the faith of the majority community.
The Nagaland Congress and several other organisations had similarly demanded the withdrawal of the original circular.
Church bodies also opposed the Government’s earlier directive.
The Nagaland Baptist Pastors’ Union (NBPU) maintained that yoga is rooted in religious and philosophical traditions incompatible with Christian beliefs and called upon churches and educational institutions to refrain from participating in the observance.
Despite the deferment of the official observance, some Central Government institutions, security forces and other organisations did conduct Yoga Day programmes independently as part of the nationwide celebrations.
