At least 35,000 people participated in India's first-ever International Yoga Day on June 21 at Rahpath in New Delhi. Among the crowd of students, soldiers, workers and bureaucrats, Prime Minister Narenda Modi took his yoga mat to the floor, surprising everyone as he led the activities, according to NDTV.
Modi was only expected to give a short speech to hail India's attempt to set a world record for yoga. Currently, Gwaloir, also in India, holds the Guinness record, with 29,973 yoga students participating in the event in 2005.
But after talking to the crowd, the prime minister also joined the yoga practitioners as they executed poses like the half camel and cobra, in full view of the media. The whole routine took 35 minutes.
In his speech, Modi said that the day's activities signify the "beginning of an era of peace and harmony," according to The Hindu. A well-known yogini himself, Modi said, "Yoga offers an opportunity to balance the mind and body, and helps harness an individual's inner strength."
He also acknowledged the United Nations for recognizing International Yoga Day, "This is a program for human welfare, a tension-free world and a program to spread the message of goodwill," Modi said, according to NDTV. The prime minister first made his proposal to hold a World Yoga Day during a United Nations General Assembly back in September 2004.
Tremendous #YogaDay buzz on social media…people sharing experiences & showing enthusiasm. https://t.co/MhkVu7AVrz
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2015
International Yoga Day was observed in over 192 countries, among two billion people. U.N. Chief Ban Ki-moon was said to be pleased with the turnout. "(There is) a lot of enthusiasm. We have been observing many international days on something but this one (yoga day) is unprecedented, most exciting," Ban said, according to Times of India.
