New York: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the star of the show at the 9th International Yoga Day celebrations organised at the UN headquarters here on Wednesday.
Modi, who first proposed during his UN address in 2014 that an annual Yoga day be earmarked on June 21, led from the front as he joined hundreds of yoga enthusiasts and practitioners – including Hollywood actor Richard Gere, UN General Assembly’s 77th session chief Csaba Korosi, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Deputy Secretary General Amina J Mohammed – to perform Yoga lessons at a sprawling lawn.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads the Yoga Day event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on the occasion of #9thInternationalYogaDay pic.twitter.com/3G8I9YGvNA
— ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2023
Ahead of the half-hour lesson by an instructor, Modi highlighted the virtues of Yoga.
The Prime Minister, donning a customised white T-shirt and trousers, began his address with a ‘Namaste’ and thanked people for coming to New York from far away to attend the celebration.
“I’m delighted to see you all… And I thank you all for coming… I’m told that almost every nationality is represented here today,” Modi said.
As it was revealed later, as many as 135 nations were represented today, creating a Guinness World Record.
#InternationalDayofYoga2023 | Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads the Yoga Day event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. pic.twitter.com/gXdnypjfYK
— ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2023
“Yoga comes from India and it is a very old tradition. Yoga is free from copyrights, patents and royalty payments. Yoga is adaptable to your age, gender and fitness level. Yoga is portable and is truly universal,” Modi remarked.
“Yoga means to unite… I remember about nine years ago, right here, I had the honour to propose celebrating International Day of yoga on 21st June. It was wonderful to see the entire world come together to support the idea,” said a proud Modi.
Gere, of ‘Pretty Woman’ fame, sat next to Modi during the yoga lesson.
Praising Modi’s message, he said: “It is a lovely message. He (PM Modi) is a product of Indian culture and comes from a vast place like Indian culture does. This message of universal brotherhood and sisterhood is the one we want to hear again and again.”
#WATCH | It is a lovely message. He (PM Modi) is a product of Indian culture and comes from a vast place like Indian culture does. This message of universal brotherhood and sisterhood is the one we want to hear again and again, says Richard Gere after Yoga Day event in New York pic.twitter.com/9fKXLpCYyh
— ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2023
Modi arrived in New York on Tuesday night for the first leg of his maiden state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
