Visakhapatnam, June 21 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday led the nation in celebrating the 11th International Day of Yoga from the scenic shores of Visakhapatnam, describing yoga as a powerful force that is “uniting the world beyond boundaries, backgrounds, age or ability.”
Addressing what is now officially the world’s largest-ever yoga gathering, recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records, Modi was joined by lakhs of yoga enthusiasts from across India and abroad. The Prime Minister performed yoga alongside Andhra Pradesh Governor Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Union Ministers Ram Mohan Naidu, Prataprao Jadhav, Chandrasekhar Pemmasani, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, and State Minister Nara Lokesh.
“This is the 11th time the world has come together on June 21 to celebrate yoga. Yoga means to unite, and today, it has united humanity across the globe,” Modi said.
Reflecting on India’s proposal at the United Nations in 2014, Modi said the support of 175 countries was not just diplomatic, but a global commitment to well-being. “From Mount Everest to outer space, and from rural India to global capitals, yoga is for everyone,” he said.
The Prime Minister praised Andhra Pradesh’s Yogandhra Abhiyan, a mass yoga campaign that reached over 2.
17 crore people. He also acknowledged 22,000 tribal students who performed 12 rounds of Surya Namaskar in 15 minutes, entering the Guinness Book of World Records.
Modi credited Nara Lokesh for transforming yoga into a “people’s movement” and thanked CM Naidu and Pawan Kalyan for their leadership in organizing the historic event.
Union Ayush Minister Prataprao Jadhav said the Prime Minister’s initiative has evolved into a global health movement, now celebrated in over 180 countries. He announced the launch of 10 Signature Events nationwide, and also introduced Ayush Aahar, a moringa-based healthy food initiative.
Chief Minister Naidu thanked the Prime Minister for selecting Andhra Pradesh as host for the national celebrations, noting that over 3 lakh people participated in Visakhapatnam alone.
Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and JP Nadda also led celebrations across the country, emphasizing the role of yoga in promoting holistic well-being and national unity.
More than 100 events were held in Delhi as part of the nationwide observance of International Yoga Day.
