The government’s plans for the first International Yoga Day are elaborate and elegant. The national capital is expected to transform into city of colours on 21 June thanks to yoga mattresses. Thousands of participants (over 12,000) are expected at Rajpath, in what will go into the Guinness Book of World Records as the “largest yoga demonstration at a single venue”. 192 countries are likely to participate in the spectacle, and Rajpath will be the epicentre of the global event.

However, in an irony that can only happen in India, a majority of the 37,500 yoga mats procured for the event were manufactured in China. The contract was awarded 3 weeks ago, and the buyers went on a hasty shopping spree around the country. Local manufacturers were contacted, but most of the mats were reportedly imported from China.

Dilpreet Oberoi, the managing director of Arch Concept, the company which won the bid, explained, “Mats were crucial because Guinness World Record conditions require every participant to perform on his or her own mat. It was all last-minute — tenders were finalised only about 20 days ago. Some mats were manufactured in India, but most are from China.”

Source: The Indian Express