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Rajpath has turned into ‘Yog-path’, says Narendra Modi on International Yoga Day

21 yoga 'asanas' were performed by 35,000 people for 35 minutes at the event

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday led the first International Yoga Day celebrations in the country, defining yoga as a means to train the human mind to begin a new era of peace and harmony.

The Prime Minister, who practised 'asanas' along with nearly 35,000 participants during a mega event at Rajpath here, also thanked the United Nations and the countries, which backed the resolution by India to mark June 21 as International Yoga Day.

The Prime Minister, who was expected to only address the gathering, surprised everyone by participating in the yoga exercises along with thousands of people, including children.

Read: International Yoga Day celebrated in WB, Union mins take part

Yoga guru Ramdev shared the dais with Modi along with heads of some other religious and yoga institutions. Modi later joined the participants on the ground as he practised the 'asanas' during the 30-minute programme.

Kicking off the event, the Prime Minister said the programme is aimed at benefiting the people by making them both physically and mentally healthy.

It seeks to make a tension-free world and spread the message of 'Sadbhavana' (harmony), the Prime Minister said, adding that yoga is "more than only physical fitness".

Read: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis praises Narendra Modi for giving yoga worldwide acceptance

"For most of the people, yoga is just a physical exercise. This is the biggest mistake.... Had this been the case, children working in circuses could have been called 'yogis'. Hence yoga is not only about making the body flexible," he said, while addressing the participants.

The Prime Minister expressed hope that the atmosphere built in favour of yoga in the country will continue in future as well.

He also said that it is not important for him where this ancient technique originated and where all it has reached.

"We are not only celebrating a day but we are training the human mind to begin a new era of peace - Sadbhavana....This is a programme for the benefit of mankind, a tension-free world and a programme to spread the message of Sadbhavana," Modi said.

The Prime Minister expressed joy over the large gathering at Rajpath noting, "Did anyone imagine this Rajpath will become a Yogpath?”

Later, the Prime Minister interacted with the children who had converged for the event.

The Prime Minister, who has been under attack from the opposition for "usurping" yoga to "highlight" himself, insisted that the programme is only intended to benefit the humankind and spread the message of love and well-being.

He also said that the support for yoga that has been built in the country will be taken forward in future as well.

Noting that new revolutions are happening in the field of technology in the world, Modi said that they would not serve any purpose if human development remains stagnant.

"This mismatch will also become a crisis for humankind. That is why it is necessary that internal development of man should also take place simultaneously," Modi said adding that this can be done through yoga.

Hailing the contributions of yoga gurus and exponents of various traditions in the world, the Prime Minister noted that sometimes some deformities creep in every tradition due to ignorance.

Maintaining that the 'asanas' are just a beginning of the larger picture of yoga, he compared it with the fine tuning of various music instruments at the beginning of a music show.

With the world observing the first International Yoga Day, the sun will not set on this form of art and the world has to take note of it, he said. 21 yoga 'asanas' were performed by 35,000 people for 35 minutes at the event.

Given the large participation, the Ministry of AYUSH which was coordinating the event, was aiming at registering the event in the Guinness World Records for the "largest yoga demonstration or class at a single venue and largest number of people of various nationalities performing yoga at one place".

Government had set up 2,000 huge digital 'cinema screens' across Rajpath for people to witness the live streaming of the performance of yoga asanas.

There was controversy in the run up to the event with a section of minority groups opposing it. The government did not include 'Suryanamaskar' in the yoga protocol for the event after some Muslim groups claimed that it was against their religion.

A large number of children of foreign diplomats also participated in the event today. Several people donning skull caps were also seen taking part in the event.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had on June 9 had said that Modi "will grace the occasion and address the gathering but he will not perform yoga."

But the Prime Minister, wearing a white attire and tricolour patka, today joined the participants in the demonstration.

( Source : PTI )
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