Prime Minister Narendra Modi today joined thousands of people in a mass yoga session in Chandigarh to mark the International Yoga Day, which he said has become a “jan andolan” or people’s movement since its launch last year.
The Prime Minister, wearing a white T-shirt and track pants with a scarf, walked around surveying people performing asanas before settling down on a mat and joining them at the Capitol Complex.
Underlining the importance of yoga, PM Modi said it “gives us health assurance at zero budget” and added that it is “not about what one will get, it is about what one can give up.” PM Modi also stressed that yoga is “not a religious event” and should not be dragged into controversy.
Functions across the world were held for the first time last year after June 21 was named the International Yoga Day by the United Nations. The resolution, proposed by PM Modi, was adopted by 177 nations without a vote.