Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the 10th International Yoga Day celebrations on Friday, June 21 in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The yoga day was observed with large-scale participation across the globe. In an X post, PM Modi attributed the widespread celebration to the collaborative efforts of individuals, communities, and organisations that came together to practice yoga. He emphasised that yoga has become a unifying force, bridging cultural and social gaps.
"I express gratitude to all those working to popularise Yoga. These efforts will go a long way in furthering unity and harmony. I am also happy to see an increase in the number of Yoga instructors whose expertise and passion is inspiring others to take up Yoga," he said. "May Yoga keep bringing the world together in the coming times," he added.
Earlier in the day, during the celebration, Modi highlighted Yoga's potential as a global good, stressing its transformative power, particularly in enhancing tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. Leading the nation from the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on the banks of Dal Lake, Modi described yoga as both knowledge and science.
"When people talk about yoga, most of them think it is a spiritual journey as if it is to find Allah, Ishwar or God... Leave aside the spiritual journey which can happen any time later. For now, you can focus on personal development and yoga is part of that. If you approach it that way, I am sure you will get a lot of benefits. Personal development leads to the benefit of society, which in turn leads to the benefit of humankind," he said.
Originally planned to be held outdoors, the event was moved indoors due to early morning rain. Despite the weather, many students participated in various yoga asanas with the Prime Minister. The enthusiastic crowd also requested selfies with Modi, who happily obliged.