Brahma Kumaris “Yoga and Wellness Festival 2018”

 Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh:  The Brahma Kumaris, with support from the Government of Uttar Pradesh and regional citizen groups, organized the Yoga and Wellness Festival 2018 from December 14th to 16th at Greater Noida Sports Complex in Uttar Pradesh.

The Festival aimed at spreading awareness about the advantages of practicing yoga and a healthy lifestyle guided by spirituality. Students, young adults, parents and senior citizens participated in the Festival and found the workshops, events and activities immensely useful in their daily lives.

Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narenda Modi also gave his message and best wishes for the three-day Festival. The Cabinet Minister of the Government of Uttar Pradesh for Agriculture, Agricultural Education, and Agricultural Research, Shri Surya Pratap Shahi, and Agricultural Director Shri Swaraj Singh, Chief Development Officer, Greater Noida, were among the many dignitaries who attended the Festival.

The Festival was preceded by the Rural India Rejuvenation Campaign from November 15th to December 13th during which BK volunteers visited more than 600 villages in Gautam Budh Nagar and surrounding areas to help in the development of rural households, educating them about sustainable agriculture, de-addiction and women empowerment.

A Healthy and Happy Student Life campaign for school and college students was also conducted from November 29th to December 12th. The campaign covered more than 200 schools, spreading awareness about the advantages of meditation in student life. More than 3,000 students from 60 schools participated in the painting, rangoli, “best out of waste”, sports and yoga competitions during the Young India Conclave held on December 14th. Guinness World Record holder Aditi Singhal organized a memory training and math workshop for the students.

On December 15th, some 1,000 farmers participated in the Kisan (Farmers) Mega Conference and Krishi (Agriculture) Exhibition aimed at encouraging farmers to adopt sustainable agriculture methods with emphasis on yogic farming. BK Raju, Vice Chairperson of the Rural Development Wing of the RERF, along with Cabinet Minister Shri Surya P. Shahi shared the importance of eco-friendly agriculture practices and motivated farmers to practice sustainable agriculture. Several Government organizations like the Indian Agricultural Research Institute participated in the exhibition. On December 16th, more than 2,500 yogis gathered from NCR to meditate for world peace.

BK Asha, Director of Om Shanti Retreat Center, and BK Sheel, Director of Sadbhavna Bhavan, Noida, conducted meditation along with other spiritual teachers. The evening was filled with the joy of relaxing silence as 3,000 people learned meditation and its benefits for holistic wellbeing from BK Shivani in the Meditation Summit. Dr. Manthena Satyanarayan Raju, natural living expert from Arogyalayam, Andhra Pradesh, conducted 6 sessions on naturopathy and healthy living that were attended by hundreds of people who found the knowledge profoundly useful.

The Yoga and Wellness Festival 2018 upheld the values of brotherhood, unity and harmony in society. An event of the community, for the community and organized by the support of the community, it truly was a remarkable weekend spent in utter joy, bliss and amazement.

Meditation Summit BK Shivani

Launch of the Brahma Kumaris Sustainable Integrated Organic Yogic Farming System Model on 25 acres in Noida

Kisan Mega Conference and Krishi Exhibition

Young India Conclave