Rishikesh festival draws big names
The International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh is underway with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami and musicians Kailash Kher and Kunal Kapoor participating — the festival is also being used to promote Uttarakhand as a global yoga hub with subsidy-backed wellness policies NewKerala, EdexLive.
Parmarth Niketan’s week‑long IYF drew “over 1,500 participants from nearly 80 countries,” according to The Times of India’s event report. timesofindia.indiatimes.com The state’s new "Yoga Policy 2025" pledges subsidies of up to ₹20 lakh for yoga and meditation centres, grants up to ₹10 lakh for research, and plans for five new yoga hubs plus integration at AYUSH health centres. edexlive.com Festival organisers published a program offering more than 70 hours of daily classes and named presenters including Lisa Ray, Lakhwinder Wadali and Anoop Jalota, alongside regular Ganga Aarti and evening cultural performances. internationalyogafestival.org News wires dated the chief minister’s appearance to March 13, 2026, and noted the Ganga Aarti included spiritual leaders Swami Chidanand Saraswati and Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati as well as a Swiss embassy official among attendees. newkerala.com
