Pune: Several city residents gathered at four spots along the Mula-Mutha riverbank in the city early on Sunday morning to mark the 12th International Yoga Day (June 21), with the aim of using the ancient practice to forge a connection with the river, at the same time raising awareness about pollution and the much-debated riverfront development (RFD) project.The free activity starting 7.30am was organised by the Pune River Revival and Jeevitnadi groups, with around 12-15 volunteers of all ages coming together to participate. At the centre of the initiative, said organisers, was the concept of yoga, meaning ‘to connect’, and an effort to bring citizens back to a river that they may have stopped actively noticing.The attendees were guided by Pooja Vaidya, a yoga instructor since 2021, to explore the meditative art through breathing exercises and beginner-friendly movements, while simply absorbing the sounds of nature around them. Vaidya told TOI, “Yoga today has become more about asana practice and poses, leading to people forgetting that it is actually a way of life. It embraces how you live and interact with other people and the environment.”“Yoga has always been a part of nature,” said Sanjeev Naik (56), one of the key organisers of the event. “People do it in parks regularly, but they rarely reconnect with a natural environment, where they can engage with multiple species.”Arati Desai (58), an attendee who regularly works with environmental and animal welfare causes, shared, “This place is full of serenity, with scant human intervention. The river flowing alongside kept the temperature cool, even as the sun rose. This green lung is a protector for our climate.”She reiterated the need to protect the heritage trees and biodiversity along the banks, referring to ongoing RFD project as a “river destruction project”. “Cutting these trees will destroy homes of bees, birds, bats and much more, with consequences to follow,” Desai said.Pune River Revival volunteer Wrutuja B (44), who has been mapping the trees in the zone to aid conservation efforts, said, “Concrete is being poured here and increasing heat around the riverbank. The width of the river is decreasing, and it is being turned into a sewage line.”Naik added that the project will replace the real protection nature already offers, and said, “We hope such activities touch a chord with citizens as we are all a part of nature. The goal is to regain small patches of biodiversity and make them continuous again. This only works if residents show pride and protection for natural locales.”Wrutuja added, “I love such sessions as they are community-oriented and hyper-localised. It is difficult to imagine that we may lose these spaces.”Mindfulness was ensured for the session, with a ban on bringing outside items to the session, or taking anything away from the spot when it was over. The event was completed with soft strums of a guitar, and the area strictly left clean of plastic and other litter.Organisers added that they are regularly conducting such events as well as walks along the riverbank for citizens to engage with different aspects of nature.
