New Delhi (Sputnik) — Leading an enthusiastic crowd of around 50,000 people in the hill-town of Dehradun, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the practice of yoga as a unifying force.
"Yoga has emerged as the biggest unifying force in the world," Modi said leading the main event to mark the fourth International Day of Yoga at the campus of the National Forest Research Institute in the northern state of Uttarakhand.
— Indian Diplomacy (@IndianDiplomacy) June 21, 2018
The United Nations had unanimously declared June 21 as International Day of Yoga after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vouched for the effectiveness of the ancient Indian health discipline during the 2014 UN General Assembly.
— Indian Diplomacy (@IndianDiplomacy) June 21, 2018
Leading the yoga session in Dehradun, the Indian Prime Minister declared "From Dehradun to Dublin, Shanghai to Chicago, Jakarta to Johannesburg, yoga has become a positive influence in the lives of millions."
— India in Bangladesh (@ihcdhaka) June 21, 2018
Apart from Prime Minister Modi, various union ministers including Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Suresh Prabhu, Uma Bharti, Ram Vilas Paswan, Ravi Shankar Prasad participated in yoga events in Lucknow, Nagpur, Chennai, Rudraprayag, Hajipur, and Patna respectively. Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu led the event in India's financial capital Mumbai.
— India in Mazar (@IndianConsMazar) June 21, 2018
Personal of the Indian Navy participating in Malabar military exercises with the Japanese and US navies off Guam in the Pacific Ocean performed yoga on board the warships, according to PTI.
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) June 20, 2018
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) June 21, 2018
Meanwhile, Rajasthan, the western state of India witnessed a new world record of conducting largest yoga session by renowned Indian Yoga Guru, Baba Ramdev where more than 100,000 people performed yoga simultaneously. The yoga session was attended by Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, ministers along with the officials of the Guinness World Records.
