Ananya Sengupta and Aditri De, students of Kolkata’s The Heritage School, emerged first runners-up in the under-14 girls’ category at the NCERT National Yoga Olympiad 2025 held at Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari.

The competition, conducted from June 15 to 18, drew over 500 students in 33 teams, from across India — representing national boards, state boards, and regional councils. The Olympiad was themed “Yoga for One Earth, One Health”, echoing India’s global commitment to health, harmony, and holistic education through yoga.

Having previously won the CISCE National Yoga Pre-Olympiad held at Dehradun, Ananya and Aditri represented CISCE at the grand finale, displaying exceptional mastery of the Common Yoga Protocol, grace in performance, and composure under pressure.

This is more than just a win—it is a testimony to the power of discipline, dedication, and the values we nurture at The Heritage School,” said Seema Sapru, principal, The Heritage School.

Pradip Agarwal, CEO of Heritage Group of Institutions, added,“This recognition at a national level reflects our commitment to holistic education. Ananya and Aditri have made the Heritage family proud by becoming youth ambassadors of yoga on a national platform.”

The students’ mentor, Ila Khandelia, Yoga & Value Education teacher at The Heritage School, said,“Watching them perform with such poise and focus was a moment of immense pride. Their journey has been full of dedication—from early morning practices to deep-rooted understanding of yogic philosophy.”

The closing ceremony at Kanyakumari was addressed by Prof. Dinesh Prasad Saklani, director, NCERT, Shri Iswar V. Basavaraddi, former director, Morarji Desai Institute of Yoga, Mananeeya Shri Hanumant Rao, all India vice president, Vivekananda Kendra, Mukesh Verma, programme director, Atul Dubey, co-programme director and other senior officials from NCERT who emphasised the timeless relevance of yoga in modern life.

The event marked a significant step in promoting Yoga for One Earth, One Health — a theme aligned with India’s vision for global well-being and spiritual ecology. The initiative aimed to deepen the role of yoga in shaping young minds towards sustainability, inner peace, and national pride.

As India prepares to celebrate International Yoga Day, Ananya and Aditri’s success stands as a symbol of youth power grounded in ancient wisdom. Their journey has already inspired many of their peers to explore yoga as a source of inner strength and national identity.

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