Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday led International Day of Yoga celebrations in Srinagar, noting that yoga has gained global significance as a force for good. Addressing the nation from the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC), PM Modi said more and more people across the world are embracing yoga.
"The world is looking at yoga as a powerful agent of global good. Yoga helps us live in the present moment without the baggage of the past," PM Modi stated.
Despite the event being moved indoors from the lawns of SKICC on the banks of Dal Lake due to incessant rain, enthusiasm remained high. "I extend greetings to the people of the country and those performing yoga in every corner of the world on Yoga Day," PM Modi said.
For many people worldwide, yoga has become a part of their daily lives, PM Modi observed. "The number of yoga followers is growing continuously. Wherever I go, there is hardly any (international) leader who does not talk to me about the benefits of yoga," he said.
On the 10th anniversary of International Yoga Day, the Prime Minister recalled how he proposed the initiative to the United Nations in 2014, garnering support from 177 nations.
International Yoga Day continues to set new records, with Modi highlighting the day's evolution from its inception to its current global prominence. "Since then, Yoga Day has been creating new records," he stated.
Talking about the growing number of people practising yoga worldwide, he attributed this trend to the discipline’s capacity to foster inner peace and societal transformation.
"When we are peaceful within, we can also make a positive impact on the world...Yoga is making new ways of positive change in society," he said.
Citing an instance of the global reach of yoga, PM Modi said 101-year-old Frenchwoman Charlotte Chopin was awarded the Padma Shri for popularising yoga in her country.
He also touched upon the contribution of yoga in boosting tourism in India. "We are now seeing yoga tourism in states like Uttarakhand and Kerala. People are coming to India because they get to see authentic yoga," he said.
The Prime Minister added that personal yoga trainers and corporate wellness programs are becoming more common, opening new avenues for employment.
Highlighting yoga's benefits, PM Modi stated that it offers solutions to modern challenges. "Yoga is not only knowledge but it is science as well. In this era of information revolution, there is a flood of information sources and it is a challenge for the human mind to focus on one subject. A solution for this is also in yoga as it helps the mind to focus. That is why from army to sports, yoga has been included in their routine," he said.
PM Modi also mentioned that astronauts and those in space projects are trained in yoga to enhance productivity and tolerance.
Expressing satisfaction with the growing popularity of yoga in Jammu and Kashmir, PM Modi said that this trend would benefit the region's tourism sector.
