Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the celebration of the 12th International Day of Yoga (IYD) at Red Road in Kolkata on Sunday morning, participating in a mega event where thousands of outdoor yoga sessions were held across the eastern state for the first time.
“Yoga is not only for a better personal life, but for the future of the world,” Modi said in his inauguration speech.
The celebration started at 6.30 am when he arrived at the venue from Lok Bhawan (formerly Raj Bhawan). He was accompanied by Governor RN Ravi, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Union Minister of State for AYUSH Ministry Prataprao Yadav and other dignitaries.
“June 21 is the longest day in our part of the world and now is the day when the world celebrates its biggest festival. Yoga has connected the world with India. It brings people together. Today I extend my best wishes to the global community,” Modi said.
“It is a special occasion for me to be in Bengal on International Yoga Day. Swami Vivekananda introduced yoga to the world. Participating in a community yoga event here gives me a spiritual feeling. Rabindranath Tagore said we belong to the global community. Rishi Aurobindo said yoga connects us with spirituality even if we cannot feel it immediately,” he said.
“This year’s theme is Yoga for Healthy Aging. Yoga can keep us healthy even if we are getting older. This means that age does not diminish human potential. Yoga can help human life to aspire to growth. Our goal should be to be more active at 50 than we were at 30. We should be more resistant to lifestyle-related diseases at 70 than we were at 50. This is where yoga can help us,” he said.
“Yoga for healthy aging should be seen as a sport for people of all ages and not just for the elderly… It paves the way for world peace, not just for our personal lifestyle; it is a necessity for a better future for the world,” he said.
“Millions are connecting with yoga on this day but we need to focus on our decisions. Let us not limit yoga to a one-day event, but make it a part of our lives, our family and our future generations. For this reason, we have introduced Yoga 365. A 100-day online program was introduced on this occasion and people from 130 countries participated in it. Once this is done, we will have a prosperous and peaceful world,” Modi said.
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This is the first time that International Yoga Day is being celebrated on such a large scale in Bengal, and Chief Minister Adhikari has indirectly attributed it to the BJP’s victory in the recent Assembly elections.
“So far, the state government has not participated in the International Yoga Day celebrations. I don’t want to go into the reasons. The scenario has changed. Today, more than 10 million people across Bengal are participating in the celebration,” Adhikari said.
