Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been leading the World Yoga Day celebrations with different themes since its inception on 21 June 2015, which has been followed globally.
Recognizing its global appeal, on 11 December 2014, the United Nations through Resolution 69/131 declared 21 June as the International Day of Yoga. The draft resolution establishing World Yoga Day was proposed by India and supported by a record 175 member states.
The proposal was first made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address at the opening of the 69th session of the General Assembly, in which he said, “Yoga is a priceless gift of our ancient tradition. Yoga is mind and body, thinking. And demonstrates the unity of action. Yoga is not just about exercise, it is a way to discover a sense of oneness with yourself, the world, and nature.
This year, the 10th International Day of Yoga will be celebrated on June 21 at the Sher Kashmir International Conference Center (SKICC) on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar with the theme 'Yoga for Self and Society'. Prime Minister Modi, who has been elected to the post for the third consecutive term, will lead the event.
Here is the list of places from where PM Modi led the celebrations:Kartaviya Path, New Delhi (2015): The first major International Day of Yoga event was held at Kartaviya Path (formerly known as Rajpath) in New Delhi. A large crowd including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of several countries performed 21 yoga poses for 35 minutes. The theme of the event was 'Yoga for Harmony and Peace'. The event broke two Guinness World Records, one for the largest yoga class with 35,985 people, and the other for the largest number of participants from 84 countries represented.
Capital Complex, Chandigarh (2016): The second International Day of Yoga was celebrated at the Capital Complex in Chandigarh under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The theme of the day was 'Yoga for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals'. More than 30,000 yoga enthusiasts joined PM Modi. They did deep breathing and stretching exercises with her. PM Modi appealed to people to take up yoga for better physical and mental health as he addressed the crowd at the grand function.
Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan, Lucknow (2017): The third World Day of Yoga was held under the theme 'Yoga for Health'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a mass yoga demonstration at Lucknow's Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan where more than 51,000 yoga enthusiasts participated and performed various yoga asanas. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also attended the event.
Forest Research Institute, Dehradun (2018): The main event of the 4th International Day of Yoga, titled 'Yoga for Peace', was held at the Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the celebration with 50,000 volunteers. Prabhat Tara Maidan, Ranchi (2019): The main event of the fifth International Yoga Day was held in Ranchi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a crowd of over 40,000 people. The theme of the event was 'Yoga for the Heart'. PM Modi addressed the people and emphasized the importance of yoga for overall health of body, mind and society.
World Yoga Day (2020): Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mass gatherings are not advised on International Day of Yoga (IDY). Considering this situation, this day was celebrated through electronic and digital media. The theme of the day was 'Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family' by the government. In his 15-minute televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that due to the coronavirus pandemic, the world needs yoga more than ever.
World Yoga Day (2021): The theme of the 7th International Day of Yoga was 'Yoga for Health'. Due to corona virus, people celebrated this day at home. In his address to the nation, Prime Minister Modi said yoga helped people gather confidence and strength to fight the pandemic worldwide.
Mysore Palace Grounds, Karnataka (2022): The eighth edition of the International Day of Yoga was celebrated in Mysore, Karnataka under the theme 'Yoga for Humanity'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a massive yoga demonstration with 15,000 participants. The day witnessed many new initiatives, including the 'Guardian Ring' programme, a joint exercise between 79 countries and UN organizations as well as Indian missions abroad.
United Nations Headquarters, New York City (2023): Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the 9th annual International Day of Yoga celebrations at the iconic North Lawn of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. This year's theme was 'Yoga for Vasudheva Katambakkam' or “One Earth · One Family · One Future”. The event witnessed an overwhelming response from thousands of yoga enthusiasts from over 135 nationalities, setting a Guinness World Record for the largest number of nationalities participating in a yoga session.