A video from a Yoga Day programme in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, has spread like wildfire on social media, receiving plenty of comments after each participant rushed to get their free yoga mat given out during the event.
The incident reportedly happened during the celebration of International Yoga Day on June 21st. Videos that have been circulating on the web show a large turnout of people lining up around spread-out mats, which were being passed out for free. In just a few moments, people jumbled, pushed, and navigated to get the mats.
The video suggests chaos as participants made a rush to the distribution area, leading to protests from some of the social media users about the ethics and discipline of the people present.
The footage has garnered a lot of engagement from the social media community on platform X and other platforms online. Users have commented on, some disapprovingly, what they saw as rules broken in the video, and others about the “scrapiness” of tools for obtaining free products.
Some users also voiced the need for more awareness on order during the public events. Others suggested that patience and discipline should have been observed during this event that had a theme of yoga, which teaches self-control, balance and mindfulness.
The incident has sparked a social media debate on what is acceptable at so-called “government-sponsored events” where freebies are distributed. Some people derided the crowd’s actions while others noted that such scenes aren’t unusual at large events where resources are perceived to be limited.
There has been no official remark on the viral video, or if action will be taken in terms of the incident.
While many users have discussed issues regarding the etiquette, civic duty and crowd control at large gatherings, the clip has invaded more social media spaces than one might have thought and ricocheted back on the internet, where all but it was discussing politics.