The 5th International Day of Yoga was celebrated in a grand manner across the world . Indian Missions and Posts began the celebrations from 15 June and will continue to do so till 23 June. So far, events have been organized in more than 120 countries at around 500 locations with the participation of hundreds of thousands of people. The events began with the video message of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi underscoring the importance of Yoga in connecting the entire world. This was followed by the practice of asanas (yoga positions) under the Common Yoga Protocol.
Many iconic locations across the world witnessed celebrations, including the Opera House in Sydney, Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Washington Monument in Washington, the Cathedral of Brasilia in Brasilia, the Shaolin Temple in China, the Dead Sea and the base of Mount Everest in Nepal. Apart from celebrations in the capital cities and iconic locations, Yoga was also celebrated in smaller cities and towns across the world showcasing the growing popularity of the discipline among the local population.
In many countries, eminent personalities joined the celebrations and local governments participated and supported events. The United Nations General Assembly hall witnessed chants of ‘Om’ reverberating in the commemoration organized by Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations. This yeas United Nations theme for IDY is Yoga for Climate Action.
In India, the MEA organized separate celebrations for the resident Diplomatic Corps at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, New Delhi led by the External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar and Minister of State V. Muraleedharan. The event saw the participation of 250 diplomats from 56 countries and 7 organisations.
