Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the 12th International Yoga Day celebrations in Kolkata, saying yoga has connected the world to India by bringing people together.
Modi's remarks came against the backdrop of multiple conflicts and geopolitical tensions across the world, highlighting the potential of yoga to promote collective peace and harmony.
He said, "Yoga is not just for a better personal life but for the world's future."
Modi was accompanied by West Bengal governor RN Ravi, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, Union minister of state for the ministry of Ayush Prataprao Yadav and other senior dignitaries.
President Droupadi Murmu, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, and hundreds of students across madrassas in Uttar Pradesh participated in special yoga sessions to celebrate the day.
Yoga sessions were hosted on the premises of several ASI sites across the country, including the Taj Mahal in Agra and the iconic Warangal Fort in Telangana.
The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) celebrated the International Yoga Day in a unique riverine setting by conducting yoga sessions aboard vessels sailing on the Brahmaputra River across Assam.
Similar events were organised in Delhi, Imphal, Ranchi, Gangtok, Chandigarh, Vijayawada, Itanagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar and Jaipur, among other places.
