June 21 is International Day of Yoga

By a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on Dec. 11, 2014, June 21 has been designated as the International Day of Yoga (IDY). The Prime Minister of India (and friend of Patria) Narendra Modi urged the world community to adopt an International Day of Yoga during an address to the UN General Assembly in 2014:

"Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well-being. Yoga is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with ourselves, the world and Nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us to deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day".

IDY will of course be celebrated throughout Patria, primarily with free yoga classes, held outdoors wherever possible, such as on the lawns of Castoropolis Common and other public municipal parks. Since the day falls on a Sunday in 2015, these events are expected to be well attended. Patria also encourages IDY to be celebrated on this day rather than Father's Day (which falls on the same day in 2015, i.e. the third Sunday in June). Patria opposes - and has even spearheaded efforts to ban - over-commercialized Hallmark holidays such as Mother's Day, Father's Day and especially Valentines Day. While perhaps not quite as over-commercialized as Mother's Day, Father's Day nonetheless deems men who have fathered children more valuable and more worthy of spending money on than those who have not. It also perpetuates gender-based stereotypes that all men want gifts of electronic toys or power tools.

Om Namo! Patria congratulates Narendra Modi

"India has won, good days are about to come!" 

The lame-duck 49th Congress passed a resolution congratulating Narendra Modi on his election as India's Prime Minister and wishing him all the blessings of the Devas and Devis as he goes to New Delhi to head the new government in India's Lok Sabha (parliament). The former Chief Minister of Gujarat led the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a resounding victory over the Congress Party, the legacy party of Nehru and the Gandhi's (Indira, Rajiv, Sonia, Rahul, etc., who of course are no relation to Mahatma!) that had ruled India almost continuously since independence in 1947.

Like the SRM in Patria, Modi's BJP campaigned hard on promises to revive India's economy and re-establish India's Hindu identity. However, many Indians still have profound concerns over Modi because of claims he did little to stop communal riots in Gujarat in 2002 that killed thousands of people, mostly Muslims. The liberal parties in Patria such as the Social Democrats and Chakras also express some concerns, but in general Patria welcomes the change in government in the macro-world's largest democracy.

Narendra Modi is affectionately known as "NaMo", as in the Kripalu guru mantra Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!

The leader of India's BJP gets some face time with the leader of Patria's Amrita Party.