Prime Minister Narendra Modi who reached New York on a state visit, described yoga as ‘truly universal’ and free from copyrights
Our Bureau
New York, NY
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday described Yoga as “truly universal” and free from copyrights and patents as he led a historic event at the UN Headquarters to commemorate the 9th International Day of Yoga, attended by top UN officials, envoys from across and the world and prominent individuals.
A representative from Guinness declared that with 135 nationalities participating, the event set the record for the most nationalities gathering for a single yoga session.
About 1,800 people, officials, diplomats, UN staff and yoga enthusiasts participated in the event, spilling over from the lawns to the walkway along the East River.
Modi, who is here on the first leg of his maiden state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, began the celebration by paying respects to the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in the North Lawn of the UN headquarters. The bust was installed in December last year under India’s presidency of the UN Security Council.
The prime minister, wearing an especially customized white yoga T-shirt and trousers, began his address with a ‘Namaste’ and thanked people for coming here from far away to attend the celebration.
PM Modi tweeted, “Gratitude to @UN_PGA and @NYC Mayor for joining us in celebrating the International Day of Yoga in New York City. Their participation underscores the universal appeal of yoga, bridging nations and cultures for the common goals of health and peace.” Mayor Eric Adams called for making yoga shape the city and national agendas. “The spirit and emotion of yoga should “challenge [us] to fight against war, to fight against gender oppression, to fight against violence and to fight against lack of clean water,” he said.
