Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu (Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey.) Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu (Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey.)

Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said yoga is the only way to a healthy life in modern times and that it has nothing to do with any particular religion.

“In today’s sedentary lifestyle, which hardly allows us to do physical exercise, yoga is the only way through which we can keep ourselves physically and mentally fit,” Naidu said while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the centenary celebrations of ‘The Yoga Institute’ in Santacruz.

The vice-president said yoga was India’s gift to the modern world and the people who connect yoga with Hindu religion should know that Hinduism is a way of life.

“Unfortunately, a few people link yoga with a particular religion. Yoga has nothing to do with religion, it’s a science of how to live a peaceful life,” Naidu said.

He hailed the institute for promoting yoga across the world for three generations and training many yoga teachers.

Naidu said certain evils have entered today’s society and Moral Science as a subject needs to be brought back in schools to combat them.

“Just see what is happening in today’s society. Girls of 3-4 years of age are being raped. In our (old) education system, we used to learn about “maryada” (dignity) and “parampara” (tradition) in primary (school). We used to have Moral Science in our school days. Moral Science should be brought back,” said Naidu.

“Use of Google is OK, but Google can never replace guru (teacher). If we have a proper guru then it can refine our character, calibre, capacity and conduct,” he said.

Maharashtra’s Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, founder of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharati Acharya Lokesh Muniji, president of Paramarth Niketan Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji and Education Minister Vinod Tawde attended the event.

Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji of the Paramarth Niketan praised Naidu for promoting Indian culture.

The Yoga Institute is celebrating a year-long programme of yoga awareness across the world.

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