RIYADH: The embassy of India in Riyadh hosted a yoga session celebrating the International Day of Yoga on Wednesday in Al-Mahdi Park.
“This year, International Day of Yoga is being celebrated under the theme ‘Yoga for Vasudaiva Kutumbakam,’ which is in unison with the theme of India’s G20 presidency ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future,’” Indian Ambassador Suhel Ajaz Khan said.
The yoga event kicked off at 6 a.m. and welcomed enthusiasts from across the city including students and teachers from various schools in the Kingdom, Saudi citizens and other nationals, Indian Embassy officials, and Indian residents living in the Kingdom.
The event was led by trained instructors from the International Yoga Club based in Riyadh and hosted by Ritu Yadav.
“Approximately 600 people participated in today’s celebrations held at Al-Madi Park,” the ambassador said.
As a part of the celebrations, dance academies performed yoga-themed dances alongside the yoga sessions.
Padma Shri awardee Guruji H R Nagendra, chancellor of Svyasa University, was the chief guest for the event. Manjunath Sharma, vice-chancellor and director of research at the same university, also attended the event.
On Dec. 11, 2014, the UN declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga, and it has been celebrated worldwide ever since.
“Yoga is an ancient physical, mental, and spiritual practice that originated in India. Today, it is practiced in various forms around the world and continues to grow in popularity,” Khan said.
The embassy session aimed to promote yoga and celebrate it as a holistic exercise valuable to a person’s health and well-being.
“The philosophy behind the ancient Indian practice of yoga has influenced various aspects of how society in India functions, whether it be in relation to areas such as health and medicine or education and the arts,” Khan told Arab News.
The ambassador explained that yoga is based on unifying the mind with the body and soul to allow for greater mental, spiritual, and physical well-being.
He said: “Yoga is already popular in the Gulf region, especially in Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi Arabia has adopted yoga as a sport as part of a holistic health initiative under Vision 2023. India and Saudi Arabia also signed a memorandum of understanding on yoga cooperation in June 2021.
“We would like to thank all the Saudi authorities for the excellent support extended toward us in organizing this event, especially to the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Al-Madi Park authorities, and the Saudi Yoga Committee.”
Indian embassy celebrates International Yoga Day with large turnout
https://arab.news/z7284
Indian embassy celebrates International Yoga Day with large turnout
- The yoga event kicked off at 6 a.m. and welcomed enthusiasts from across the city
- As a part of the celebrations, dance academies performed yoga-themed dances alongside the yoga sessions
Pilgrims reminded of benefits provided by Tawakkalna app during Hajj
- The services it provides include alerts for pilgrims, a distress call function, weather updates, help to determine the direction to face the Kaaba for prayer, and prayer timings
- The app provides support for seven languages: Arabic, English, Filipino, Indonesian, Bangladeshi, Urdu and Hindi
MAKKAH: Authorities have reminded pilgrims that the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority’s Tawakkalna app provides access to several digital services that can help them during Hajj.
The app provides support for seven languages: Arabic, English, Filipino, Indonesian, Bangladeshi, Urdu and Hindi. The services it provides include the latest information and alerts for pilgrims as they perform Hajj rituals; weather updates for Makkah and Madinah provided by the National Center of Meteorology; readings from the Qur’an; help to determine the qibla, the direction to face the Kaaba for prayer; and prayer timings.
Pilgrims can also use Tawakkalna to display their digital Hajj card (Nusuk), while Hajj workers can access entry permits for holy sites. A “rituals” section gives pilgrims with Hajj permit the option to obtain a permit for Umrah, and provides other services such as a “Help Me” section, a distress call function, and a way to check volunteers’ credentials.
Authorities said the app has 32 million users, provides 315 electronic services, and can be used in more than 77 countries. The annual Hajj pilgrimage will begin on Friday, June 14 and continue until Wednesday, June 19.
Saudi leaders send condolences to leader of Malawi over death of vice president
- King Salman: We express to your excellency and your friendly people our deepest condolences and sincere sympathy
- Deaths of Saulos Klaus Chilima and the others were confirmed on Tuesday when the wreckage of the small military plane in which they were traveling was discovered
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman sent a message of condolence and sympathy to Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera following the deaths of Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine others in a plane crash.
The king wrote: “We received news of the death of the vice president of the Republic of Malawi, Mr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, and his companions, and we express to your excellency and your friendly people our deepest condolences and sincere sympathy.”
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a similar message to the president, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The deaths of Chilima and the others were confirmed on Tuesday when the wreckage of the small military plane in which they were traveling was discovered in a mountainous region in the north of the country. Contact with the aircraft had been lost the previous day. The victims also included former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri, the ex-wife of former Malawian President Bakili Muluzi, and three military crew members.
- With AP
Egypt’s president prays in the Prophet’s Mosque ahead of Hajj
- The annual pilgrimage starts on Friday and El-Sisi will be taking part this year
RIYADH: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrived in the Saudi city of Madinah on Thursday and prayed at the Prophet’s Mosque, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
El-Sisi was received by Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the governor of the Madinah region, and a number of local officials on his arrival at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport.
The annual pilgrimage starts on Friday and El-Sisi will be taking part this year.
King Salman Arabic Language Academy signs deal with Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies
RIYADH: King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language on Thursday signed an agreement with Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies in Tashkent.
The agreement aims to enhance cooperation in promoting the Arabic language, teaching it, preserving its integrity and supporting its use in alignment with the objectives of the human capability development program, one of the initiatives of Saudi Vision 2030.
The academy aims to fulfill its mission of caring for the Arabic language, fostering pride in it, and enabling its civilizational, scientific and cultural contributions.
The academy implemented Arabic language month in Uzbekistan as part of a series of scientific programs undertaken in various countries.
Saudi inventor develops digital solution for lost pilgrims
- Suliman Saleh Al-Dhalea launches Murshid app to enhance pilgrim safety during Hajj
JEDDAH: With more than two million Muslims expected in Saudi Arabia for Hajj this year, the annual pilgrimage is becoming increasingly hi-tech, with apps to help the faithful navigate Islam’s holiest sites.
In a landmark step to address the issue of Hajj pilgrims who go missing, especially the elderly and those with special needs, Saudi inventor Suliman Saleh Al-Dhalea recently launched a mobile application that offers hope to the thousands of pilgrims who get lost during the Hajj period.
The app, named “Murshid,” which means guidance, connects pilgrims and Umrah performers with guides, Hajj and Umrah companies, volunteers and scouts. Moreover, it promptly deals with requests from people with disabilities and the elderly.
The app has two features — the ability to report lost pilgrims, as well as being able to detect the location and movement of pilgrims to ease the search process if they get lost or separated from their group.
Al-Dhalea, who invented the app, told Arab News that overcrowding often leads to lost pilgrims at Hajj sites, meaning pilgrims get separated from their groups and are unable to rejoin them.
“This project was designed as a result of the difficulty of dealing with the different communities within the holy sites, such as Makkah, Mina, Arafa and Madinah,” he said.
“Our main aim is to know where the missing pilgrim is,” Al-Dhalea said.
He affirmed that with the Murshid app, no one will get lost during Hajj.
“This is to ensure providing the pilgrims who come to Saudi Arabia with distinguished services so that they perform the duty of the fifth pillar of Islam and all its rituals correctly in the best conditions,” he said.
“Though we have many volunteers and scouts helping missing pilgrims find their way, most fail to effectively explain where they are, making it difficult for officials to find them. This new app will help us overcome logistical problems encountered during this busy season,” Al-Dhalea said.
He said the app will be operational this year and that they have already teamed up with five of the largest Hajj and Umrah companies.
“To date we are working with these companies and, additionally, men, women, taxi drivers and other locals can also work with us as guides.”
Al-Dhalea, who is from Qassim, said the invention of the app is not a commercial project, and that he is not concerned with how much money it will make.
“Saudi Arabia’s great efforts toward serving the pilgrims of the House of Allah led me to think of something to stand by my country and also think of a project which could solve some of the problems pilgrims face,” he said.
After helping an Iranian pilgrim and his wife this week, Al-Dhalea told Arab News that his contribution to serving this pilgrim has added a lot to him both personally and practically.
"It was my first case this Hajj; his name is Hossein Almasi from Iran. He got lost in Makkah before the Hajj season started, and it was reported to us through our app. We immediately started searching and found him.
"As soon as we found him, we guided him along with his wife to the Iranian campaign headquarters, and the man was very happy. When he got there, he asked us how much money to pay for this service. We told him it is a free service. He hugged me and said thank you," said Al-Dhalea.
Unsurprisingly, Al-Dhalea’s app for finding missing people during Hajj saw off the challenges of 450 local and international projects for sustainable solutions for pilgrims organized by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah during the Hajj Expo.
