Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday led the 10th International Day of Yoga celebrations from Srinagar as millions around the globe rolled out their mats to mark the occasion.
PM Modi led the massive yoga session, with over 7,000 other participants who joined him. The Prime Minister is also expected to address a gathering at the event, later.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Minister Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav, and many others were also expected to join the program led by the Prime Minister.
This year’s theme, ‘Yoga for Self and Society,’ underscores the practice’s ability to promote both personal well-being and a sense of global community.
The celebrations take place at several locations across the country and abroad, aiming to bring together thousands of participants to promote global health and wellness through the practice of yoga.
Along with Kartavya Path in Delhi, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Ranchi, Lucknow, Mysuru, major cities worldwide also host yoga events, including iconic landmarks like Times Square in New York City, the United Nations Headquarters, Washington and parks in London and Sydney. Embassies and Indian missions abroad too joined the celebrations.
In New Delhi’s Purana Quila, the Ministry of Culture will celebrate Yoga Day. Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will lead the event at the Sun Dial Lawns near Qutab Minar.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will participate in a yoga event in Ahmedabad, performing yoga at a public garden on Sindhu Bhavan Road along with others.
On Thursday, PM Modi wrote a letter to all the Gram Pradhans (Gram Panchayat Presidents) stating, “At the grassroots level, I urge you to make holistic health a people-led movement by spreading more awareness about yoga and millets”.
This year’s celebrations will also feature a notable event termed ‘Yoga for Space,’ wherein all the centres and units of ISRO will have programs on the practice of a common yoga protocol, the Ministry of Ayush said in a statement.
The Union Health Ministry has urged states to observe Yoga Day at all operational Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) by organising mass demonstrations and inviting prominent public figures as yoga ambassadors to motivate participants.
The Ministry of Ayush has also launched a ‘Yoga with Family’ video contest in partnership with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) on the MyGov and MyBharat platforms. It encourages families worldwide to submit videos of their yoga celebrations with family before June 30.