It was an unprecedented demonstration of India's soft power as tens of thousands across the world, besides millions in India, performed yoga on Sunday to mark the inaugural International Day of Yoga (IDY). A record-breaking nearly 36,000 people, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took part in the main early morning event at Rajpath in the heart of New Delhi.
Yoga was performed at events across the world -- from New York to Trinidad and Tobago, from the Maldives to Australia, from Tel Aviv to Moscow, from on board Indian naval ships to the heights of Siachen glacier, at schools and in innumerable residential localities -- to mark the IDY on June 21.
The mega event at Rajpath, the ceremonial boulevard and the surrounding green expanse that connects Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace on Raisina Hill, with the World War I memorial India Gate, was replicated across state capitals, cities, towns and rural areas in the country. Modi described the event as the start of a new era for training the human mind for mind-body balance, peace and harmony.
Modi, who himself performed the asanas among the crowd of yoga practitioners at Rajpath, said yoga was not only an exercise to make the body flexible but a path for inner development.
"It marks a new era of training of human mind for peace and harmony," said Modi, attired in a full-sleeve loose white shirt and white lowers, with a scarf in the saffron, white and green colours of the Indian flag looped around his neck.
Events were held in the morning hours in 192 countries, organised by the Indian missions and yoga centres.
As the sun rose on the globe, the yoga events began kicking off, with the eastern-most countries sending in their pictures.
India notched two world records on the inaugural IDY at Rajpath -- for the most number of participants in a yoga lesson with 35,985 at Rajpath -- and for the most number of nationalities attending a yoga lesson -- with people from 84 countries participating at Rajpath.
In an address at the United Nations, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the IDY was viewed as a perfect platform to bring the world together in a spirit of unity and harmony.
She said yoga was not a religion and should not be seen as belonging to any particular religion. "It is a science, the science of well-being, the science of integrating body, mind and soul, the science of actualizing our true potential."
Among those doing yoga at Rajpath were US Ambassador Richard Verma, Nepal Ambassador Deep Kumar Upadhyay, Afghanistan's Shaida Mohammad Abdali and members of the foreign diplomatic corps and foreign nationals studying in India.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung and Delhi's former top cop Kiran Bedi were among the prominent personalities who joined in doing yoga.
Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth were present but did not join.
Remarking at the sea of people, Modi said: "Did anybody ever think that Rajpath can become Yogpath?"
Modi did all the 35 asanas listed in the Common Yoga Protocol performed on Sunday. A group of yoga experts performed the yoga exercises on a stage, beamed to the crowd on around 25 large screens, with instructions in Hindi and English.
Modi is a keen yoga enthusiast on whose proposal the UN last year announced holding of IDY on June 21.
The Rajpath event barely escaped the sharp pre-monsoon showers that drenched the capital soon after the yoga exercise ended at 8 a.m.
As the event got over, the sky became overcast and strong gusts of wind shook the tree branches along the Rajpath boulevard. Droplets of rain fell -- and in 20 minutes, it began pouring.
Strong security arrangements were in place around Rajpath and only those with special invitee cards were allowed in the restricted area.
Over 1,400 women training to join Delhi Police did the yoga asanas as did senior citizens.
Muslims, some wearing the skull cap, took part with enthusiasm despite it being the fasting month of Ramadan. There was 11-year-old Mohd. Aseem from a government school in Vivek Vihar who said he enjoyed doing yoga.
The US envoy said he found the yoga session "excellent".
Burkina Faso envoy Idriss Raoua Ouedraogo, who has been practising yoga for over 27 years and is a teacher, said he was delighted to have been at Rajpath.
Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa hailed Modi. "As a practitioner of yoga, I commend PM @narendramodi for his efforts at the UN," he tweeted.
Indian soldiers did yoga at the Siachen glacier, the world's highest battlefield at 5,400 metres altitude, and in Ladakh and Kargil, besides at all major stations.
The Indian Navy, observing "Yoga across the Oceans", had ships stationed in international waters, from the Mediterranean to the South China Sea, and the crew performed yoga.
Later addressing an international conference on yoga here, Modi asked people to embrace yoga for "highest divine perfection" and to combat greed and violence.
He said that while yoga may have originated in India, it draws energy from the millions who practise it around the world.
Doing yoga regularly helps to reduce greed, violence, cost of healthcare and conflicts within communities and between nations, he said.
The Art of Living said some 50 million people across 132 countries did yoga on Sunday with the spiritual group.
Two Guinness records set on first yoga day
The first International Yoga Day at Rajpath saw two Guinness World Records being set - for the largest number of participants in a yoga lesson at a single venue and for the most number of nationalities in a yoga lesson.
An official statement said that in the first category, for the largest number of participants in a yoga lesson at a single venue, the earlier record was 29,973.
The congregation at Rajpath on Sunday was 35,985, breaking the previous record.
The second category was the most number of nationalities in a yoga lesson.
To achieve this, participants from at least 50 countries were required to perform.
"Today, participants from 84 countries performed yoga at Rajpath," the statement said.
The awards were received by Ayush Minister Shripad Yesso Naik from representatives of Guinness World Records -- Victoria from Britain and Marco Frigatti from Italy.
Yoga Day: A terrific, relaxing event, say foreign diplomats
“How did I do?” asked US envoy Richard Verma smiling at the end of the International Yoga Day event on Rajpath, adding: “It was terrific, it was very relaxing.”
Verma was among over 200 members of the foreign diplomatic corps who joined the yoga event on Rajpath to mark the inaugural International Yoga Day (IYD).
Togged in a white T-shirt with the IYD emblem, given to official participants by AYUSH ministry, and black track pants, Verma was in the enclosure for members of the diplomatic corps and foreign guests.
Besides Verma, the other envoys spotted at the venue were ambassadors Deep Kumar Upadhyay of Nepal, Shaida Mohammad Abdali of Afghanistan, Idriss Raoua Ouedraogo of Burkina Faso, a keen yoga enthusiast, and Algeria's Hamza Yahia Cherif.
The US embassy had brought along some members while six personnel came from the Russian embassy including press attaché Tanya Kopylova. Two members of the Israeli embassy were present including spokesperson Ohad Horsandi.
There were also many foreign students studying in different universities in India.
US envoy Verma, who is of Indian origin, performed quite easily the 35 asanas of the Yoga protocol. Slimly built, Verma said he did not find even the somewhat difficult Sethubandasana, which requires bending backward, tough.
“It was terrific. I did not find the yoga tough. I managed easily. It was very enjoyable, very relaxing,” Verma told IANS.
Earlier, while waiting for the event to begin, Verma described the IYD event as “a wonderful event” which brought together so many people. ”It is a fantastic tradition, so important for the mind and body, for peace and harmony. It is very popular in the US embassy."
Afghan envoy Abdali, who topped up his yoga attire with a pair of smart shades, also went through the 35 asanas without any difficulty. “It was an excellent event,” Abdali told IANS.
“I will try to continue to do the yoga,” he said, adding that four members from the Afghan embassy also took part.
“I really liked it. We normally need to exercise. I don’t think there is any exercise better than yoga that keeps one fit and at the same time keeps us spiritually so strong. I will try to make it a regular feature,” the envoy told IANS.
Nepal’s Upadhyay said he had been practicing yoga for 10 years. He found no difficulty in doing the asanas. Upadhyay said yoga will help bring “shanti (peace) at home and in the universe”.
Algerian envoy Cherif, a sprightly soft-spoken gentleman, did the asanas easily.
He said he enjoyed the yoga very much. Earlier, he said that while he does not practice yoga, he feels everyone should do it for harmony and peace. “If yoga is taken to the world, there will be much-needed peace and harmony on our planet,” Cherif told IANS.
Ambassador Idriss of Burkina Faso had a large crowd of admiring members of the diplomatic corps around him.
The outgoing envoy has been practicing yoga for 27 long years and has founded yoga centres in his own country. Idriss said he found the 35 asanas simple as he is used to doing much more complicated asanas.
Another enthusiastic participant was Faeq H.H. Hamza, counselor from the Palestine embassy. He is not a yoga regular.
There were two German embassy personnel who do yoga regularly. “We enjoy yoga,” one of them said but declined to be named.
Israeli embassy spokesperson Horsandi told IANS that around 20,000 people would be performing yoga in Tel Aviv on Sunday to mark the occasion.
“Israelis love yoga. They love to go to India to do yoga,” he said.
Kopylova of the Russian embassy told IANS that the mission holds regular yoga sessions for the staff. “Yoga helps to relax the mind and body."
From Rwanda, Joseph Kabakeza, the first counselor of the high commission, said he was a yoga enthusiast.
Yoga Day launched at UN; Ban says way to life of dignity
As a night of thunderstorms and a dark, cloudy morning was broken by shafts of sunlight, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the First International Day of Yoga here with a call to harness the power of the ancient art to usher in a life of dignity for humanity.
It has the strength to usher in world peace and help bring a life of dignity to the world, said Ban, who was dressed in a yoga track suit and participated in the yoga demonstration, performing several asanas that Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar led the audience in.
On the summer solstice morning, the sun defied the weather predictions to bathe event in its warm glow and a lone butterfly symbolically fluttered among the participants clad in red and seated on the floor.
Calling the International Day of Yoga "a wonderful addition to the UN calendar", Ban said: "If it can promote physical dexterity, it can also promote diplomatic dexterity."
That was a theme that ran through the speeches at the celebration. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said yoga was a powerful tool to promote peace.
Yoga Day "celebrates our common humanity", she told the the audience of several hundred at the UN plaza along the East River and the 30,000 massed at the Times Square, who were watching it on video screens several stories high.
Yoga brings a powerful message of men and women living together in peace and in harmony with the world, she said.
"It is not a part of religion," she said. "It should be seen as a science."
Underscoring this message, 47 Muslim or Muslim-majority nations were among the 177 countries that co-sponsored last year the General Assembly resolution to declare the Summer Solstice Day as the International Day of Yoga.
General Assembly President Sam Kutesa said the initiative taken by India was exceptional for the support it received from nations around the world.
Global health has taken greater importance in the mission of the UN and yoga can promote it, not only in physical well-being, but also in the health of the mind.
Tulsi Gabbard, the lone Hindu member of the US Congress, referring to the massacre of nine Christians at a South Carolina church by a white supremacist last week, said this was the result of ignorance and hate and the antidote to that is the wisdom and spiritual love that lies dormant in all. "Yoga can awaken them," she said.
India's Permanent Representative Asoke Kumar Mukerji, invoked the 'shloka' "Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah" and said that its message of health, joy, freedom from suffering peace was the guiding principle for India joining the UN as a founding member.
Yoga was the force behind this concept and the outpouring of support for the yoga day showed its time has come.
