President Ram Nath Kovind today called upon the people to use natural products and adopt a lifestyle according to nature.

The harmonious association of humans with nature was the goal of Ayurveda and Yoga. ”And for this harmony, it is necessary that all of us adopt a lifestyle according to nature and do not violate the natural laws. Use of natural products would be beneficial for all,” he said addressing the first convocation of the University of Patanjali in Haridwar.

The President observed that modern medical science has made amazing progress in the field of treatment with the help of many tools. However, Ayurveda and Yoga-science have deeply contemplated and researched the best tool developed by the universe i.e. the human body. And through the body itself, it has developed effective ways of treatment.

Kovind hailed the contribution made by Swami Ramdev in popularising yoga. He said Swami Ramdev has benefited countless common people by associating them with yoga practices.

He noted that some people have a misconception that yoga was associated with a particular sect or religion but it was not like that at all. In a true sense, yoga was a method of keeping the body and mind healthy. ”That is why yoga has been adopted by people from all walks of life and ideology across the world.”

He recalled that he had celebrated International Yoga Day along with his Surinamese counterpart in 2018 during his state visit to Suriname. He also recalled that the founder of the Arab Yoga Foundation, Ms Nouf Marwaai had been conferred with Padma Shri in 2018 for her contribution in the field of yoga. He said that according to his belief yoga was for everyone, yoga was for everyone.

The President said that the University of Patanjali was preparing the future generation for nation-building by giving them education based on the idea of indigenous entrepreneurship and employment generation.

He noted that the University of Patanjali was marching on the path set by the National Education Policy to make India a ‘Knowledge Super Power’ by combining relevant traditional knowledge with modern science. He said that efforts made by this university would help Indian knowledge-science, especially Ayurveda and Yoga to attain a prime place on the world stage in a modern perspective.

The President was happy to note that the University of Patanjali has established a special cell for international students. He said that through this initiative the Indian values and knowledge tradition could be spread across the world. And this would be a special contribution of this university in the rise of New India of the 21st century.