200,000 Soldiers Attend Yoga Classes in Jammu & Kashmir

[Guest guest]

Jammu, November 9, 2006: In an attempt to reduce stress among

soldiers stationed in conflict zones of Jammu & Kashmir, over two

lakh [200,000] of the men in olive are now regularly attending yoga

classes at their respective units.

 

Away from home, under constant pressure, life of a soldier is full

of stress, especially if operating in a conflict zone like Jammu and

Kashmir. Such stress has recently led to a number of fatal

causalities among soldiers, including suicides and attacks on

colleagues.

 

Indian Army and paramilitary forces fighting militancy are also

prone to panic reactions by soldiers. As stress in uniform has

become an official truth, security agencies are employing various

techniques to combat stress among troops.

 

And Yoga is one among those that have attracted majority of army

personnel.

 

"The army has also hired yoga teachers in some of the units to

impart yoga courses to the army personnel," official sources

confirmed to the Hindustan Times, adding that "recently a disciple

of Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev was invited at Dilkush in 16 Corps to

train some of the army personnel how to exercise yoga. After seeking

training, those army personnel were further given the task to impart

the similar type training to their colleagues as well."

 

Statistics placed by the then Indian Defence Minister Pranab

Mukherjee in Parliament showed 66 soldier suicides in 2002, 96 in

2003, 100 in 2004 and 71 till November in 2005.

 

The number of "assault and affray" cases - including battering of

officers or violence among troops - was 95 between 2002 and 2004 and

18 till November in 2005. A separate table on murders shows six

killings in 2002, 16 in 2003, 18 in 2004 and 16 till November in

2005.

 

Cases of suicides and opening fire on their colleagues and other

similar reactions are now referred to as "panic reactions."

 

"Actually yoga is not a new concept in the army, though it was taken

lightly as the level of stress was almost negligible a couple of

decades ago," informed a senior army officer on the condition of

anonymity.

 

"But now the same has tremendously increased and that too just in

the past few years, so special attention is being paid nowadays," he

informed.

 

"Every morning army jawans [privates], together with their senior

officers, are attending Yoga classes," revealed sources. "However,

in the terrorism-infested belts like that of Rajouri, Poonch and

Doda districts, the activity is once a week."

 

SOURCE: Hindustan Times. Two lakh soldiers attend yoga classes in

J&K, by Zorawar Singh Jamwal.

URL: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1839543,0008.htm

[Guest guest]

Hmm, soldiers learning yamas like ahimsa ... this could lead to something interesting.