Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on 27 September 2014 stated that

“Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help in well being. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day.”

His call to the international community to understand the immense potential of Yoga in channelizing our energies for good and thereby embrace it as a lifestyle was responded with full enthusiasm by the international community. He proposed 21^st June – the longest day of the year in the mass northern hemisphere (shortest in the southern hemisphere) – to be adopted as International Yoga Day and thereby start a movement to inculcate Yoga as a lifestyle. What then followed was hectic negotiations from the Indian diplomatic community at the UN which was led by India’s Permanent Representative at the UN, Ambassador Asoke Mukerji. On 11 December 2014, UN-GA adopted the resolution to declare 21^st June as International Yoga Day with a total of 177 nations co-sponsoring the resolution, which is the highest number of co-sponsors ever for any UNGA resolution of such nature. In an exclusive interaction with Akshay Ranade, Co-Founder of Mimamsa – An Indic Inquiry, Asoke Mukerji recalled the way he approached the task envisioned by the PM and how it was successfully achieved.

 

AR: The first Modi government came to power in May 2014 and the UN GA adopted the resolution to declare 21st June as Int. Yoga Day in December the same year. Also, the resolution was able to garner support from 177 Member States who sponsored the text, which was adopted without a vote. This itself was a huge victory in a relatively small span of time. Can you share some experience of the phenomenal diplomatic feat and how it was made possible?

AM: The success of the proposal by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for the United Nations to declare 21 June every year at the International Yoga Day owes a lot to how the idea was presented to the international community. The Prime Minister felt that implementing this idea would demonstrate “the immense expectation of India’s leadership in multilateral institutions, especially from the developing world”.

The coordination of positions of countries represented in the United Nations General Assembly to adopt the Prime Minister of India’s proposal required a thought-out strategy. The objective was to get at least 97 countries represented in the United Nations General Assembly, which represents the simple majority of the 193-member Assembly, to become co-sponsors of a resolution to declare an International Yoga Day. The initial list of co-sponsors would act as a catalyst for other countries in supporting the adoption of the resolution.

Countries of South Asia and in the ASEAN group, where yoga is a popular trans-generational activity, were of course a priority. From South Asia only Pakistan held out against co-sponsoring the resolution, though it eventually joined the consensus decision to declare an International Yoga Day. From ASEAN, only Malaysia and Brunei did not join the list of co-sponsors.

As the United Nations General Assembly was in the middle of negotiating Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, placing the proposal to declare an International Yoga Day within the framework of Sustainable Development Goal 3 on Good Health and Well Being, provided an appropriate platform. Within the negotiations, the Group of 77 (G-77) developing countries had consolidated their position on the need to eradicate poverty as the over-arching priority of any global sustainable development agenda. India was the first Chair of the G-77 after its was formed in 1964.

China was associated with the G-77 in these negotiations. Persuading China, as a major developing country and home to millions of practicing Buddhists, to become a co-sponsor of the proposal appeared to me to be critical in getting widespread support among the UNGA member-states, and accelerating the pace for the adoption of the resolution.  I called on the ambassador of China to the United Nations personally with this idea. He consulted his government and within days received assent to sign the co-sponsorship sheet. Many members of the G-77 joined in as co-sponsors, boosting the numbers supporting the draft resolution.

This was followed by the co-sponsorship of traditionally significant countries like France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, where yoga was also widely practiced.

During the United Nations General Assembly plenary discussions on the proposed resolution, attempts were made to dissuade the majority of 56 member-states belonging to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to disregard the proposal on the grounds that yoga was not in keeping with Islamic practices. However, this view was not only countered by the majority of the OIC member-states, but several of them became early co-sponsors of the proposed resolution. These included Indonesia, Iran, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Turkey, Nigeria and Senegal.  Eventually, 48 countries of the OIC became co-sponsors of the resolution.

(Amb. Asoke Mukherji speakiing while Tabling of  Resolution co-sponsored by 177 member-states to declare 21st of June as International Yoga Day at UN-General Assembly)

On 11 December 2014 I formally tabled the resolution co-sponsored by 177 countries to declare 21 June every year as the International Day of Yoga in the UN General Assembly. It was unanimously adopted by acclamation, without a vote.

The chronology and significance of this achievement for India was placed on the table of India’s Parliament by our late External Affairs Minister Shrimati Sushma Swaraj in a suo motu statement on 15 December 2014. It is worth recalling what she said:

“On 11th December (2014), an unprecedented 177 out of the total 193 member states of the United Nations; joined-in as ‘co-sponsors’ to the resolution for ‘International Yoga Day’. In the history of the United Nations, this is the highest number of co-sponsors ever for any Resolution of this nature. ‘Co-sponsorship’, quite simply, meant that these countries not just supported India, but expressed their public willingness to own the initiative as well!

The list of co-sponsors was wide, all-encompassing and a triumph of Indian diplomacy – from the P-5 to the Small Island States of the Pacific; from the heart of Africa to nearly the whole of Europe; from most of our South Asian neighbours to our distant friends in the Caribbean and Latin America, all in one voice stood up in our support.

To me, this broad spectrum of cross regional support signifies two things- first, it is a reflection of the pan-global appeal of India’s rich cultural heritage; especially Yoga. But more importantly, this outpouring of support and whole-hearted embrace by the international community for the International Yoga Day signifies how India’s age-old traditions are in harmony with what the world needs today.” 

(List of 177 countries who co-sponsored the resolutions)

AR: What do you think was the main idea of the Modi government behind this effort? 

AM:  As the Prime Minister said, “Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action’ restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature.”

AR: Can we see any tangible benefits after the declaration of International Yoga Day – like increase in tourism within India, increased demand for Indian professionals who teach yoga across the globe, etc ?

AM: I think that the most tangible impact of the International Day of Yoga has been the open participation of millions of ordinary people across the world in practicing Yoga, especially on 21 June. This has been a voluntary effort, and self-sustaining. The International Yoga Day shows how governments and non-governmental entities can work in synergy, and how individuals can respond to initiatives by governments which resonate with them. Even in Saudi Arabia, where the UN resolution was ignored in 2014 because Yoga was not considered to be in consonance with Islam, it is a matter of satisfaction that Yoga is being allowed today as a sporting activity.

Within India the first International Yoga Day on 21 June 2015 was participated in by 35,985 people in a single yoga session in the heart of New Delhi. The session was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who has personally led mass yoga events in India at every successive anniversary of International Yoga Day. India released commemorative postal stamps and India’s Reserve Bank released two commemorative coins to mark the First International Yoga Day.

A second impact of the International Yoga Day is its ability to attract participation by youth from across the world. On 21 June 2016, the Second International Yoga Day was held under the theme “Connect with Youth”. It was celebrated in 192 countries across the world.

The theme of the Third International Yoga Day on 21 June 2017 was “Yoga for Wellness. Having been adopted under the framework of global health, the International Yoga Day has helped focus on the contribution of yoga to maintaining inner harmony, and harmony between people and between people and nature. In 2017, an International Conference on Yoga was held in New Delhi in which representatives from over 80 countries participated to exchange views on how to make the practice of yoga a year-round activity across the world.

The Fourth International Day of Yoga on 21 June 2018 adopted the theme “Yoga for Peace”. The need for harmony and peace, emphasized in the declaration of the International Yoga Day, has never been greater. It was in this context that millions of ordinary people across the world came out to practice yoga and demonstrate their belief in the importance of peace in a fragmenting world.

“Yoga for the Heart” was the theme of the Fifth Yoga Day in 2019. This theme was actively discussed in the context of the commitment under Agenda 2030 to curb consumption and lead healthy lifestyles.

This year, when the world is facing an unprecedented and existential crisis with the Coronavirus pandemic, the theme of the Sixth International Yoga Day is “Yoga for Health – Yoga at Home.” In a way the Covid-19 pandemic has compelled the International Yoga Day celebrations to become part of the new digital world.

Until the Covid-19 pandemic was declared, there was increasing movement of people across the world and within India propagating Yoga as a means to help overcome the stresses of daily life and reconnect with Nature. Unfortunately, the pandemic appears to have created a temporary hurdle to this movement of people.  I hope that when the situation normalizes in the travel industry, Yoga will again become a prime motivator of people seeking to communicate with each other and connect with one another.

AR: In recent times, India has consciously invested in projecting India’s Soft Power, e.g. like using Buddhism as a link to connect with our Eastern neighbours, re-invigorating civilization and cultural links through epics like Ramayana where it is relevant etc. What possible benefits do you think India can hope with these investments?   

AM: India’s “soft” power has always been a great “investment” for her diplomatic outreach. The biggest benefit is of course to bring people closer to India’s civilizational heritage. This has been the focus of a lot of recent writings on Indian history which look at India’s civilizational presence in Central, East and South-east Asia.

The role that Buddhism played in this interaction is now gaining prominence.  The revitalization of the Nalanda University project in India is an important part of this activity. The ancient trade routes like the Silk Road were as important for the movement of goods as they were for the movement of ideas. The Prime Minister in his address to the United Nations has spoken of the “surge to democracy”. It is possible today to see a convergence between India’s “soft” diplomacy and the values of India’s democratic values enshrined in our Constitution, especially relating to individual freedoms, including the freedom of worship.

I think that this is one of the important dimensions of India’s “soft” diplomacy, especially in Asia. For example, we have used this to connect with new generations in Mongolia after the transition from communist rule. The Indian Ambassador to independent Mongolia from 1990 till 2000 was Rinpoche Kushak Bakula, the well-known Buddhist lama who is known for his efforts in reviving Buddhism in Russia and Mongolia after they emerged from communist rule. His house was known more as a place to acquire the knowledge of Buddhism than as the residence of the Indian Ambassador! I think that this strand in India’s “soft” power diplomacy has great potential as an investment in India’s relations with other communities in Asia as they make similar transitions from communism and re-connect with a common civilizational heritage in Asia.

The Ramayana is of course omnipresent across South East Asia, as every traveler in that region will attest. There has been a lot of interest in showcasing the theatrical aspects of the Ramayana tradition which link the performing arts. This has been done even at the highest level, such as Summit meetings between India and the South-East Asian countries. We have seen a revived interest in the architectural dimensions of this common heritage in recent years as well. It is now time to consciously integrate our younger generations in this region into the appreciation of the important values of the Ramayana, which is one of the great epic poems of mankind.

AR: Are there any other efforts which are happening at the governmental level to consciously augment India’s soft power potential?

AM: There are two major areas of activity currently which are being supported at the governmental level.

One is through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), which has a very dynamic network of over three dozen Indian Cultural Centres abroad. These Cultural Centres provide an invaluable additional dimension of “soft” power to India’s diplomatic engagement in many countries. You can see it for example in the organization of the International Yoga Day in countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Even in Russia, the Cultural Centre is a active a hub of “diplomatic” activity. In addition to providing a platform for such activity, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations has systematically institutionalized the use of India’s “soft” power through mechanisms like ICCR scholarships for studies in India, Chairs for the study of Indian culture abroad, as well as the traditional exchanges of cultural delegations visiting India or going to foreign countries. The development of human skills through such activities is a significant contributor to the overall emergence of a knowledge-based society.

The second area is the organized outreach to the Indian diaspora. After the initiative taken after 1998 to focus on the Indian diaspora, governmental structures have been created to interact with the about 30 million persons of Indian origin who live across the world. Since 2014, these structures have been harmonized under India’s Ministry of External Affairs. The attempt is now to enable this pool of people who have linkages with India to become the interlocutors for India’s interests in the cultural and economic spheres in their home countries. A programme called “Know India Programme” of the ICCR is tailored to tap into such people, so that they can visit India and see for themselves the current realities of our country, about which they can speak when back in their homes.

AR: What other areas do you think we should be concentrated upon in this regard? How far is the non-governmental initiative active in these efforts?

AM: There is scope for the increasing role of Indian corporates in this area. I hope that this will become more visible as time goes by. The Shriram Centre for the Performing Arts in New Delhi and the National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai are good examples of what corporate activity can do to catalyze the growth of “soft” diplomacy.

Similarly, there is potential for what I call “academic diplomacy”, which can become a very valuable component of “soft” power diplomacy. The advantage of academia is that it brings specialized domain knowledge to the table and is directly able to incorporate the younger generation through students in academic institutions. It is well placed to follow up on the creation of knowledge databases that are required by both traditional and “soft” diplomacy. The popularity of digital history websites like Live History India demonstrate how such an effort can bring together minds from across the country and produce professionally researched articles that showcase facets of the ordinary history of India which may not be taught in traditional curricula in schools and colleges in our country.

AR: Mimamsa – An Indic Inquiry is basically a portal which attempts to understand India and promote the ingrained universal values in the Indic thought through a credible and authentic discourse rooted in Indian values.  What role do you see of the forums like us in complementing governmental efforts?

AM: The attempt is laudable, and part of India’s contribution to modern multilateral diplomacy. From 1922, India as a member of the League of Nations has contributed significantly to the work of the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation which was based in Paris. Eminent thinkers from India such as Jagadish Chandra Bose and Sarvepalli Radhakrishan were members of this Committee, which became the foundation stone for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1946.

 If you see some of the examples I have given to your previous questions on the way in which non-governmental efforts can complement the government’s use of “soft” diplomacy, I think you will see how Mimansa can use digital technology to focus on Indic thought. The digital world that is emerging before our eyes is part of the new reality, and initiatives like yours can play a significant role in such a digital world.

There is much to be done to showcase knowledge in a professional manner, contributing to what Dr S. Radhakrishnan called “the unity of mankind” in his writings. This will be a good way to demonstrate the value of what we mean by “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”.