National

PM Narendra Modi Leads Historic UN Yoga Session, Scripts Guinness World Record

Modi arrived at the headquarters of United Nations in New York and led a special yoga session which witnessed the presence of top UN officials, ambassadors, envoys, delegates from Member States as well as prominent members of the global and diaspora community

PM Modi participates in yoga day celebrations
info_icon

In a historic celebration to commemorate the ninth International Day of Yoga, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the headquarters of United Nations in New York and led a special yoga session which witnessed the presence of top UN officials, ambassadors, envoys, delegates from Member States as well as prominent members of the global and diaspora community.

He began the programme by paying respects to the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the North Lawn of the UN headquarters. The bust was installed in December last year under India's presidency of the UN Security Council. Addressing the huge crowd, Modi said that yoga was a way of building bridges. It is free of copyrights and patents and is adaptable and universal.

Notably, the event created a new Guiness World Record for the most number of nationalities participating in a yoga session. Michael Empric, Guinness World Records official adjudicator said, "Today there was a Guinness World Records title attempt for most nationalities in a Yoga lesson. The mark to be was 140 nationalities. Today in New York, at the UN, they have 135. It is a new Guinness world records title..."

PM Modi began his speech by thanking people for showing up in such large numbers to attend the event. Expressing delight after being told that almost every nationality is represented here today, he said, "Yoga means to unite, so you are coming together is an expression of another form of Yoga."

"...Let us use the power of Yoga not only to be healthy, happy but also to be kind to ourselves and to each other. Let us use the power of Yoga to build bridges of friendship, a peaceful world and a cleaner, greener and sustainable future. Let us join hands together to realise the goal of One Earth, One Family, One Future," he said.

Among the prominent members who arrived at the venue was Grammy Winner Falguni Shah. "I am here to do Yoga with PM Modi and others who believe in yoga, wellness and beautiful health," she said. PM Modi had also met the award-winnger singer earlier and lauded her for her song ‘Abundance in Millets’ that raises awareness regarding healthy and environment friendly millets.