Two crore children create Surya Namaskar record

Zeenews Bureau

Patna: `Surya Namaskar` programmes were organised on Monday across the country on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda`s 150th birth anniversary. Report suggests that around 2 crore school students performed `Surya Namaskar’ across different states. The School Education Department and NGOs in many states had made elaborate arrangements for ensuring grand presence in the event. In Bihar, a controversy had erupted over making `Surya Namaskar’ mandatory in schools. Prominent Muslim groups had asked Nitish Kumar government to make changes in the notice issued and add the provisions of "optional or voluntary" so that the minority students could stay away from the programme. Later, the Bihar government adhered to the demand of the Muslim groups and changed the provision in the circular. Earlier, around 50 lakh students across Madhya Pradesh on January 12 took part in ‘Surya Namaskar’ ignoring Opposition protests and fatwa by Muslim clerics even as Congress leader Digvijay Singh saw nothing wrong in the yogic exercise and said it should not be equated with religion.