Lucknow Raj Bhavan opens its doors to morning walkers, yoga lovers
Fitness buffs and morning walkers will soon have a new option in the heart of Lucknow: the Raj Bhavan lawns
Fitness buffs and morning walkers will soon have a new option in the heart of Lucknow: the Raj Bhavan lawns.
Uttar Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel on Tuesday announced that the lawns of her majestic gubernatorial residence would be open to all fitness enthusiasts for two hours each morning.
“From 5am to 7am, the Raj Bhavan lawns will be open for all morning walkers and yoga lovers. I invite all to come, walk, do yoga in the fresh air and benefit,” the governor said on the occasion of International Yoga Day on Tuesday.
Some former Raj Bhavan officials said that the governor had wanted to open the Raj Bhavan lawns soon after she took over in 2019.
“However, the Covid surge played spoilsport. This time, the announcement will draw people,” said one of them.
A recipient of the Gujarat government’s gallantry award for saving two girl students from drowning in the Narmada river, the governor admitted that yoga has been a part of her daily routine and advised others to incorporate the Indian mind-and-body fitness regime in their lives, too.
“We have such a big and nice Raj Bhavan, such good lawns, so many trees and plants. But I feel bad that neither people from outside the Raj Bhavan nor our staff and their families make use of it. I appeal to all of you to come here each day between 5am and 7am for Yoga and morning walk. Remember, fitness is the key to happiness,” she said, advising the people to wake up before sunrise.
“Mind you, when I say it, I follow the routine myself,” she said.
The Yoga Day celebrations were held at Raj Bhavan after two Covid-hit years.
Raj Bhavan in Lucknow was once known as Kothi Hayat Baksh, meaning the ‘abode of gift of life’. The nawabs of Lucknow used it as their health resort.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who participated in the Yoga Day event at the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday morning, hailed the governor’s commitment to fitness.
“At her age, she is remarkably active. The vagaries of weather don’t seem to affect her,” the chief minister said as the governor’s staff nodded in approval.
In Lucknow, apart from NBRI lawns, the Janeshwar Mishra and Lohia Parks, as well as the Gomti riverside walking plaza are quite popular among morning walkers and nature lovers.
