On this year’s Yoga Day — which falls on June 21 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform yoga along with people from more than 180 countries at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The prime minister will lead celebrations of the ancient-Indian holistic exercise in an event that will be attended by diplomats, leaders of nations, artists, cultural icons among others.
This will be BJP-led central government’s ninth executive Yoga Day celebrations and the prime minister’s event will take place between 8 am to 9 am in UN’s North Lawn.
In India, the national celebration of the day will be led by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.
The motto of this year is “Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam," which means “the world is one family."
The international Yoga day has generated tremendous response, and at least 25 crore people are expected to participate in this year’s celebrations, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal said.
“As we move closer to the International Day of Yoga, we are taking the celebration of Yoga, one of the greatest gifts of India’s rich heritage to humanity, to another level this year,” Sonowal said.
How did International Yoga Day came into being?
PM Modi had urged the UN to celebrate June 21 as International Yoga Day of Yoga at the same venue in 2014.
In his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2014, PM Modi called for the adoption of an International Day of Yoga, describing the ancient Indian tradition as an invaluable gift to humankind.
“Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and nature," the prime minister had said.
Yoga Day 2023
In India, there will be several special events like ‘Ocean Ring of Yoga’, where Indian naval ships will be stationed at nine ports around the world.
The Day will also be celebrated in North and South Pole regions in coordination with the Ministry of Earth Sciences at Indian research bases in the Arctic and Antarctica, news agency PTI said.
In ‘Yoga Bharatmala’, Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force along with ITBP, BSF and BRO will make a chain of Yoga demonstration in unison.
This year’s theme ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, is a phrase mentioned in the ancient scripture Maha Upanishad, has been the guiding light for the Indian heritage since time immemorial.