THE NEWS DOSE DESK
Visakhapatnam/Delhi/Chandigarh, 21 June
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that yoga can serve as the “pause button” in today’s conflict-ridden world, offering a path to peace, balance, and global harmony.
Leading the 11th International Yoga Day celebrations from the coastal city of Visakhapatnam, PM Modi urged the world to embrace “Yoga for Humanity 2.0”, where inner peace is recognised as a foundation of global policy.
“Let this Yoga Day mark the beginning of a new era, where peace within becomes the basis for peace in the world. May today be the start of global peace,” he said.
The theme for this year’s International Yoga Day, celebrated on June 21 across several countries, is “Yoga for One Earth, One Health.”
‘Yoga has United the World’
Highlighting how yoga transcends all barriers of nationality, age, background, and ability, the Prime Minister said, “Yoga has united the world. From the Sydney Opera House to Mount Everest, across oceans and continents, the message is clear—Yoga is for everyone.”
Over the last decade, Modi said, yoga has become an integral part of daily life for millions worldwide. “It takes us from ‘me’ to ‘we’. Yoga awakens us to our interconnectedness. India is offering healing to the world,” he said.
Calling for a ‘Yoga Revolution’, he urged people to begin each day with yoga to achieve balance, harmony, and a deeper connection with themselves and the world.
“In a world full of distractions and disharmony, yoga is the path to unity. It is a journey toward oneness with the universe,” he added.
Global Endorsement of India’s Initiative
Reflecting on the journey since 2014, the Prime Minister recalled how India’s proposal to declare June 21 as International Yoga Day received overwhelming global support. “When India proposed the idea at the UN General Assembly, 175 countries backed it within a short span. Such unity is rare and significant in today’s world,” he noted.
Andhra CM and Global Participation
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also spoke at the event, praising the Prime Minister for transforming yoga into a global movement.
“Thanks to the visionary leadership of PM Modi, yoga is no longer limited to India. It has become a worldwide wellness campaign,” Naidu said, noting that International Yoga Day is being observed in more than 175 countries and over 12 lakh locations, with the participation of more than 10 crore people.
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the cultural wing of the Ministry of External Affairs, is organising events in 191 countries to mark the day.
