Delhi students’ ‘Namaste March’ to ward off Coronavirus
New Delhi, 8th March 2020 The first-ever of its kind, a cultural procession for health named ‘Namaste March’ was taken out in the vicinity of Laxmi Nagar in the national capital on Saturday to make people aware about ways to ward off the contagious Covid-19 which is wreaking havoc all over the world.
The peaceful mass awakening programme was set off under the social leadership of noted author and activist Dr Birbal Jha, appealing to both national and international audiences to revert to or adopt the Indian culture of greeting with Namaste, instead of other greetings that engage handshaking or hugging or any kind of physical contacts.
“Don’t scare the people, rather care for them given the outbreak of coronavirus. Adding to that, the yogic Namaste, taken from Anjali Mudra of Pranamasana, meaning I bow to the divine in you is both preventive and curative when it comes to dealing with the virus of no sure cure”, said Dr Birbal Jha, who also heads British Lingua, an institute of communication skills training of international repute.
“The exclamatory namaskar, a part of the Indian culture, has been in practice since the Rig Veda, one of the four Vedas, paving the way for cheerfulness and the wellbeing of mankind. Hence, this ‘Namaste March’ has a lot to offer to the world given physical contacts being medically disallowed and therefore being frowned at”, added social entrepreneur Dr Jha leading youth in hundreds.
Youth clinging placards to their chests and putting their palms together onto their hearts made beelines on the roadside of Vikas Marg in East Delhi to send out a message of how to fight with coronavirus originated from China. A placard in their hands reads ‘no handshaking, please, say only Namaste, please whereas another says, ‘stick to the Indian culture of greetings, beware of western meetings! Others include ‘no embracing, no infection, no hugging, and no contagion. Such was a dozen of slogans giving the message to passersby on the busy road of Delhi on the day.
“I am happy to be part of this mass movement for the protection of mankind under the aegis of British Lingua which has spearheaded this campaign, promoting Indian culture and ethos on the one hand and the safety of human lives on the other”, said the Stephanian, Vinod Sukheja.
Underlining the significance of Indian culture, social worker Ramakant Chaudhary said, “Indian culture always talks about being hygiene and keeping the surrounding clean to welcome God. Where there is proper sanitation, there is the least chance of bacteria-virus infestation. We should maintain a habit of cleanliness and battle with Coronavirus.”
Hundreds of students and local residents including intelligentsia took part in the crusade wherein traffic police also chipped in to add value to the Namaste March, appreciating the awareness campaign.
