Yoga frenzy grips Karnataka
Bengaluru, June 21 : Thousands of people, young and old, on Thursday celebrated the fourth International Yoga Day in Karnataka by participating in yoga sessions held in cities and towns across the state.
Prominent among those who performed yoga aasanas included 85-year-old former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, his son and Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader B.S. Yeddyurappa and Union Minister for Programme Implementation D.V. Sadananda Gowda.
While Deve Gowda performed yoga at his residence in the city, Yeddyurappa took part in the Yoga Day activities held at his party office in Bengaluru.
In Bengaluru, hundreds flocked to Kanteerava Stadium in the city centre where the main event was held from 7 a.m. in its circular ground. Kumaraswamy was present at the venue.
"Yoga Day provides a glimpse into India's rich and ancient heritage... Yoga is dear to me. My family, including my father (Deve Gowda) and wife (Anita), too are ardent followers of yoga and practice it daily," the Chief Minister said in a statement.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar also joined in the Yoga Day celebrations along with students at a private university here.
Several public venues across Mysuru, Dharwad, Hubballi and Mangaluru among other cities and towns were also filled with enthusiastic people performing "surya namaskaras" (sun salutation, a yogic practice) and other yogic poses.
Hundreds gathered in front of the iconic royal Mysore palace in Mysuru to perform yoga, making for a delightful spectacle as they performed the exercises in unison.
Mysuru had entered the Guinness World Records for holding the largest yoga lesson in the world in 2017, when 55,506 participants performed yoga at one venue.
The Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, one among the yoga forms, is said to have been popularised in the country by a yoga teacher from the state K. Pattabhi Jois, who had set up a yoga research institute in Mysuru (then Mysore) in 1948.
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Gill, Mandhana win top BCCI awards
New Delhi (PTI): Prolific batters Shubman Gill and Smriti Mandhana were named the Best International Cricketers (Men's and Women's) at the BCCI Naman Awards 2026 here on Sunday, recognising their outstanding performances in the 2024–2025 season.
Gill won the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award, while Mandhana received the award for the fifth time.
For Gill, it was his second Cricketer of the Year award after first winning it in 2023.
Former stars Roger Binny, Rahul Dravid and Mithali Raj were honoured with the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, the BCCI's highest honour, recognising their outstanding service to Indian cricket.
India's five trophy-winning sides (2025 ICC Champions Trophy, 2025 Women's ODI World Cup, 2025 U-19 Women's World Cup, 2026 Men's U-19 World Cup, and 2026 T20 World Cup) were honoured as well on the occasion.
Gill enjoyed a stellar 2025 and established himself as one of the team's most dependable batters in the longer formats.
On the tour of England, skipper Gill led from the front in the five-Test series, finishing as the top run-getter with 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40, including four centuries and a top score of 269.
Gill also played a pivotal role in India's Champions Trophy triumph last year, having entered the tournament as the No.1-ranked ODI batter in the world. He made an unbeaten 101 against Bangladesh in India's opening match, and finished the tournament with 188 runs.
Mandhana finished 2025 with 1,703 international runs, including 1,362 in ODIs, the most by any woman in a calendar year. In doing so, Mandhana became the first batter in women's ODI history to score 1,000 runs in a single calendar year.
Mandhana also made handsome contributions to India's maiden Women's World Cup title triumph, aggregating 434 runs in nine matches to end as the tournament as India's leading run-scorer and the second-highest overall.
Before the World Cup, the left-hander Mandhana smashed a 50-ball century against Australia in New Delhi to register the fastest ODI hundred by an Indian batter, surpassing Virat Kohli's 52-ball effort.
Shafali Varma (Best Woman Cricketer Senior Domestic One-Day), Ira Jadhav (Best Woman Cricketer (Domestic), Harsh Dubey (Best All Rounder in the Ranji Trophy), and Ayush Mhatre (Best All Rounder in Domestic Limited Overs Competitions) too won awards for their strong performances across the 2024-25 domestic season.
