50,000 people have gathered with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Himalayan foothills to salute the power of yoga.
DEHRADUN: Yoga has boomed in recent decades, with millions practising it regularly, although in the West it is often more of a gymnastic than a spiritual activity.
Several Union ministers are expected to mark the event in different parts of the country.Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Suresh Prabhu, Uma Bharti, Ram Vilas Paswan, Ravi Shankar Prasad also took part in yoga events in Lucknow, Nagpur, Chennai, Rudraprayag, Hajipur and Patna respectively.
Union minister Smriti Irani and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar participated in International Yoga Day programmes in Chandigarh and Jhajjar.This year, the entire nation rolled out Yoga mats to celebrate International Yoga Day 2018.
After his speech, Modi performed yoga with thousands of volunteers at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun.
In Mumbai, Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar participated in the celebrations.
PM Modi had suggested 21st June to be celebrated as International Day of Yoga while addressing UN in 2014.
In 2017, PM Modi participated in the event and practised Yoga along with 51,000 participants in Lucknow.
The Prime Minister said that Yoga is one of the most precious gifts given by the ancient Indian sages to humankind.
The Prime Minister had earlier participated in Yoga celebrations at Rajpath in New Delhi in 2015, the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh in 2016, and the Ramabai Ambedkar Sabha Sthal in Lucknow in 2017.
