Yoga helps us to reduce the stress and anxiety caused due to our fast-paced lives, besides providing physical relaxation. International Day of Yoga is celebrated every year on 21 June, to honour the practice of yoga and spread awareness about its benefits. In 2014, the idea of Yoga day was proposed by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, during his speech at the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Captain Rupam Das, a young army officer, saved over hundred people in the flooded areas in Assam before saving his own family. The Army joined the rescue operation four days ago. In their statement, the army recognized the efforts of Das and said that the dedicated officer had first saved the lives of over hundred people in spite of his family being stranded in the same devastating situation. Apart from Assam, Meghalaya has also been badly affected by landslides and floods.
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed annually across the globe on 17 June. The theme for this year is ‘Rising up from drought together’.The day is observed to create awareness about desertification and drought. The day also focuses on finding solutions for turning degraded land into fertile soil to combat desertification and for recovering losses from drought.
Father is the first hero, friend and mentor for a child. Every year, Father’s day is celebrated to cherish this unbreakable bond between father and his child on the third Sunday of June, in most parts of the world, including India. This year, the day was celebrated on 19 June. On this day, children spend time with their father and surprise him with meaningful gifts according to his likings and needs.
Both Nand Kishore, a migrant worker from Surat in Gujarat, and Mrtiyunjay Sharma, an engineer who had lost his job in Covid-19 crisis, were uncertain about their future when they returned to Bihar during the nationwide lockdown in 2020. Now, two years down the line, Nand Kishore’s startup produces around 2,000 sarees every month, stitches lehengas and sells face masks while Mrtiyunjay’s unit produces facemasks, tracksuits, T-shirts and school dresses. Both startups had earned international repute in two years and had turnovers in crores, last year.
Olympic gold-medalist and India’s ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won a silver medal and set a new national record throw (89.30m) at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on 14 June, 2022. With this performance, the 24-year-old broke his own record (88.07m), from March, 2021. In August, 2021, Neeraj had won the Tokyo Olympics gold with a throw of 87.50m and became the second-ever individual to win the Olympic gold, after shooter Abhinav Bindra.
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is observed annually across the globe, on 15 June. Elder abuse, which also includes mistreatment and neglect, can be physical, social, financial, or psychological in nature. The theme for this year is ‘Building Strong Support for Elders’. The day is observed to create awareness about the negative impact and consequences of elder abuse and what can be done to prevent it.
54-year-old Om Prakash Jaiswal, from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, has been providing physical training to youngsters from poor families free of cost, since 2011. He aims to train at least one lakh aspirants and help them get recruited into the police, paramilitary forces and the Indian Army. Jaiswal retired as a firefighter six years ago. Due to his impeccable record as a champion middle and long-distance runner in the Madhya Pradesh Police, the state sports and youth welfare department has appointed him to train 650 police constable aspirants in Indore.
19-year-old Kunja Rajitha, from a tribal village in Alluri district, Andhra Pradesh, recently won the gold medal in the 400-metre sprint at Khelo India Youth Games 2022, held in Haryana. Despite facing various struggles as a migrant family from Chhattisgarh, Rajitha and her three siblings continued their education due to their parents’ support and encouragement. Rajitha had also won second place in a similar event in Khelo India 2019 edition. The determined teenager said that she aims to win a gold medal in the Olympics.
Indian lifters Akansha Kishor Vyavhare and Vijay Prajapati, won silver medals in the 40 kg and 49 kg categories respectively, on 11 June, 2022, in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Youth World Weightlifting Championships for men and women. The tournament was held in Leon, Mexico. Sahdev Yadav, President of the Indian Weightlifting Federation, said that he would like to congratulate all the weightlifters for their performance and appreciate the efforts of Indian coaches who have trained these athletes in a short period.
