The first International Day of Yoga was celebrated with enthusiasm and gusto, as a record breaking 37,000 people, led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took part in the main early morning event at Rajpath, New Delhi on Sunday. For the first time people from 84 countries performed yoga at a single venue in Rajpath. The earlier record on the first count was held by Vivekanand Kendra, a Gwalior-based institute, with 29,973 participants. Modi called the event as the start of a new era for training the human mind for mind-body balance, peace and harmony.
Kapalbhati, bhujang aasan, trikon aasan, bharadwaj aasan and more - Modi did the entire 35-minute yoga routine, even taking a brief break to supervise the children behind him. But for a brief pranayam, yoga guru Baba Ramdev sat quietly on stage. The venue was brimming with thousands of schoolkids, college students and practitioners from different yoga institutes. The lawns too were packed. An overwhelming majority wore white T-shirts and dark track pants. Around 300,000 jawans also participated in the event.
It wasn't just Delhi. The event spread across India from Rann of Kutch to INS Virat on the high seas, to passengers in mid-air on morning flights. Ayush, the ministry responsible for organising the event, is estimated to have spent Rs 300-400 million organizing the event across 650 camps. Abroad, enthusiasts spread themselves below the towering Eiffel Tower and the phlegmatic temples of Cambodia.
"Did anyone ever think Rajpath would become yogpath?" the PM had asked a cheering crowd. But the odd note was that the PM spoke entirely in Hindi, despite the presence of specially invited foreign diplomats and guests.
As a knowledge system, Modi said, yoga has been enriched by contributions from different quarters across the globe. It was more than physical exercise; rather a way to achieve a stress-free life. "Yoga isn't about bending your body. If this was true, even kids working in a circus would be called yogis. It is more like tuning instruments before a concert. In the ecosystem of yoga, asanas are like that. The real journey is much longer. And we are trying to move in that direction."
Modi, whose UN speech last year was pivotal to the announcement of June 21 as International Yoga day, added, "Yoga is for the welfare of humankind, for a stress-free world. It is a programme for love, peace, unity and harmony."
Among those who participated at Rajpath were, US ambassador Richard Verma, Nepal ambassador Deep Kumar Upadhyay, Afghanistan's Shaida Mohammad Abdali and, members of the foreign diplomatic corps and foreigners studying in India.
People from across the globe joined with demonstrations of asanas held in public places. Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay took to Twitter to share his experience. “Feeling relaxed after taking part in the mega yoga event organised to mark International Yoga Day by the Indian Embassy,” he tweeted. Kathmandu saw vice president of Nepal, Parmanand Jha and actress Manisha Koirala participate in the drive. Indian officials saw 300 people attend the ceremony, while more than 2,000 in Hong Kong persevered in the rain as they gathered at the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park.
Celebrations were also held in China, where NIIT supported the Government of Wuxi, to organise the event which had over 1,000 people practising Yoga by the side of the scenic Taihu Lake; events were also organised in Beijing. New York’s iconic Times Square saw some 30,000 enthusiasts in colourful dresses performing yoga. Similar events were held in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Beijing, Manila and other places.
