New Delhi: Millions across India rolled out their yoga mats Saturday to celebrate the 11th International Day of Yoga, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the nationwide observance from the coastal city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh through a mass yoga session.
Dressed in all-white, Modi led a mass yoga demonstration at RK beach and said that at a time when the whole world is going through some kind of tensions, yoga gives a direction of peace and brings oneness.
“Yoga is the pause button that humanity needs to breathe, to balance, to become whole again,” he said.
“My request to the world — let this yoga day mark the beginning of yoga for humanity 2.0, where inner peace becomes global policy,” he said.
From the icy heights of Siachen Glacier to naval ships anchored in Visakhapatnam, the Indian armed forces also observed Yoga Day across the country, reaffirming their commitment to discipline and inner strength.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh led the celebrations in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur, accompanied by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi.
“There was a time when yoga was considered limited to saints and seers. But today, people are performing ‘surya namaskar’ on mats from New York’s Times Square to the lawns near the Eiffel Tower. Is it less than a miracle?” Singh asked.
This is the “rising soft power” of India and yoga has become its “strongest ambassador”, he said.
At an event held at Delhi-based Western Air Command of the Indian Air Force, a large of number of its personnel and their family members gathered at Subroto Park to engage in yoga routines and in the middle of the field, a symbolic formation of ‘OP SINDOOR’ was made with people standing on mats and doing various ‘asanas’.
Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lieutenant General N S Raja Subramani performed yoga with troops and families at Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi, joined by more than 3,400 participants, including defence attaches from 25 countries, NCC cadets and school students.
Indian Navy personnel participated in the main yoga day celebrations in Visakhapatnam. Sessions were held along the RK Beach and onboard Navy ships anchored nearby.
Addressing a programme at the police lines in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun, President Droupadi Murmu described yoga as a shining example of India’s soft power and said it has now become a shared legacy of the entire mankind.
“Yoga is not connected with any religion, sect or community. It is an art of leading a healthy life,” she said, appealing to everyone to embrace it as a daily practice for mental and physical well-being.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said yoga’s timeless wisdom has transcended borders to unite humanity in wellness and harmony.
A number of Union ministers, governors and chief ministers performed yoga asanas in different corners of the country.
In Visakhapatnam, Modi said the theme of this year’s International Day of Yoga is ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health’, which reflects a deep truth that the health of every entity on Earth is interconnected.
Human well-being depends on the health of the soil that grows food, on the rivers that give water and the health of animals that share the ecosystem and the plants that nourish, he said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his deputy Pawan Kalyan also joined the event.
Naidu said the state set 23 global records – two Guinness Records and 21 World Book of Records. Addressing media persons, he said 3.03 lakh people gathered for the main event, creating a world record for most people performing yoga at a single location.
He said 22,122 tribal students simultaneously performed 108 Surya namaskar for 108 minutes in one location, thus creating the second Guinness World Record.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda led the yoga day celebrations at Kartavya Path in Delhi while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, along with envoys of various countries and other members of the diplomatic corps, performed yoga asanas in the capital’s Nehru Park.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta performed asanas on the banks of the Yamuna.
In Uttar Pradesh, Governor Anandiben Patel participated in a yoga day event at the Raj Bhavan while Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath led the celebrations in Gorakhpur.
In Haryana, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini was joined by yoga guru Ramdev at the state-level programme held at the Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra. He announced that a five-minute yoga break will be introduced in all government offices along with a uniform yoga curriculum that will be implemented in all universities and colleges of the state.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced a yoga policy for Uttarakhand, making it the first state to frame such a policy. He said the policy is aimed at developing the state into a global wellness destination.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant appealed to school teachers to practice yoga with students for 15 minutes every day to stay physically and mentally fit.
In Bihar, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan practised yoga in a camp organised at Darbar Hall of the Raj Bhavan.
In Hyderabad, over 3,000 persons with disabilities showcased their skills by performing yoga.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) marked the day by organising yoga sessions at 81 monumental sites across the country, including the Adalaj Ki Vav in Gujarat, Konark Sun Temple in Odisha, and Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
In December 2014, the UN proclaimed June 21 as the International Day of Yoga. The draft UN General Assembly resolution establishing the International Day of Yoga was proposed by India and endorsed by a record 175 member states.
PTI
