Over 5 lakh troops of the Central Armed Police Forces performed some unique exercise postures--'doga' and 'hoga'-- on the fifth International Day of Yoga Friday as they held sessions in the most difficult terrain ranging from the remote Naxal-affected regions to border locations along Pakistan and China.
The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) like the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, NSG and NDRF undertook yoga drills at their formations spread across the country.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) animal transport unit, based in the border area of Lohitpur of Arunachal Pradesh, exhibited their yoga skills along with their dogs-- calling it 'doga', an acronym for dog yoga.
They rendered the same drills atop their horses, giving it the name of 'hoga' or horse yoga.
The dogs aid the force in conducting operations, sanitising routes, sniffing out explosives and drugs, while horses carry loads of ammunition and rations to high-altitude posts of the ITBP.
Senior officials of the mountain-warfare trained force, tasked to guard the Indian frontier with China, also undertook these exercises in an early morning session at Lukung border post, at the height of 14,000 feet, on the banks of Pangong Tso lake at Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Border Security Force (BSF), which guards the country's border with Pakistan and Bangladesh, rendered yoga drills atop their horses and camels as also along the border areas in Bhuj, Gujarat and Punjab on the western flank of the country.
Horses and camels are used by BSF personnel to conduct patrols in forward areas of Punjab and Rajasthan, respectively.
The force got 4,685 yoga instructors to administer these skills to the troops as these drills are now a mandatory part of its physical training sessions, a senior BSF officer said.
Similarly, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel performed yoga 'asanas' at various airports and units under its security cover.
The force, which guards 61 airports and other vital installations in the aerospace and nuclear domain, also hosted a morning session at the iconic marketplace of Connaught Place in Delhi where over 1,000 personnel and civilians participated.
Its personnel also participated in the main event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jharkhand's capital city of Ranchi.
The country's largest paramilitary force, the CRPF, undertook these exercise sessions in various Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas of the country, including the most challenging Sukma district of Chhattisgarh and Saranda forests in Jharkhand.
The counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG) performed yoga at its garrison in Gurugram near here with senior officials and commandos participating.
The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which guards open India borders with Nepal and Bhutan, conducted yoga exercises at all its six frontiers in the country, a senior official said.
Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), who are now preparing to tackle the onslaught of monsoon rains and subsequent operations in the country, also conducted exercises as per the common yoga protocol (CYP), an official of the force said.
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