PM Modi leads Yoga Day celebration at Rajpath, India sets two world records
Avijit Ghosh, Dipak K Dash & Durgesh Nandan Jha,TNN | Jun 22, 2015,
TNN-Times of India
NEW DELHI: On a humid summer morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stretched his arms, bent his legs, rolled his neck and twisted every sinew in his body as India celebrated the first International Day of Yoga with gusto, muscling into the Guinness World Records.
Late Sunday evening, it was announced that the Union ministry of Ayush had set two records — for the largest yoga session ever with 35,985 participants and for most nationalities, 84, taking part at a single venue. The earlier record on the first count was held by Vivekanand Kendra, a Gwalior-based institute, with 29,973 participants.
All of last week, the hype surrounding the event was more like a forthcoming Salman film or a world heavyweight title bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Or, both put together. Yet nothing really prepared you for what you saw — a prime minister, literally on the mat, staring at the sky at Rajpath, one of the capital's most toffee-nosed boulevards.
Complete coverage on International Yoga Day
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. The PM was dressed for the occasion: a full-sleeve white T-shirt and pyjama with a tricolour stole he used to wipe his sweat. But for a brief pranayam, yoga guru Baba Ramdev sat quietly on stage. This was Modi's show.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs Yoga on International Yoga Day at Rajpath in New Delhi on Sunday. (PTI photo)
The event did not begin with chants of Om, a word that had sparked a controversy.
35,985 people belonging to 84 nations joined the #YogaDay programme at Rajpath. 2 world records have been set. Yoga truly unites.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2015
The world has celebrated #YogaDay with immense enthusiasm. Across the world, people have joined in large numbers. This is a great moment.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2015
This was a different Rajpath from the one seen on Republic Day ceremonies.
On January 26, the spacious road belongs only to a chosen few. On Sunday, it was a concourse 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. Watching them perform on the giant LED screens spread across the area was like witnessing a spectacular synchronicity.
It wasn't just Delhi. The event spread across India from the silver stretches of the Rann of Kutch to INS Virat on the high seas, to passengers in mid-air on morning flights. Ayush is estimated to have spent Rs 30-40 crore organizing the event across 650 camps. Abroad, enthusiasts spread themselves below the towering irons of Eiffel Tower and the phlegmatic temples of Cambodia.
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