Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], June 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday led the 11th International Day of Yoga celebrations from Visakhapatnam, calling yoga a timeless and borderless gift that unites humanity through health and harmony.
Set against the scenic backdrop of the Visakhapatnam coastline and Indian Navy ships anchored offshore, the event saw participation from over three lakh people, emphasizing this year’s message: “Yoga belongs to everyone.”
In his address, PM Modi praised the efforts of the Andhra Pradesh government and commended Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan for their “inspiring leadership” in organizing the grand event. “Yoga is for everyone — beyond boundaries, backgrounds, age, or ability. It is a universal gift,” Modi said.
Recalling India’s historic 2014 proposal at the United Nations to declare June 21 as International Yoga Day, PM Modi highlighted how 175 countries supported the initiative in record time. “Such global unity is rare, and it showed a collective step for the betterment of humanity,” he noted.
“From the steps of the Sydney Opera House to the peaks of Everest, and across oceans and continents, the same message echoes — Yoga is for all,” he added, reflecting on how yoga has transformed into a worldwide symbol of peace, health, and inner harmony.
Marking a decade since the first celebration in 2015, Modi emphasized how yoga has moved beyond symbolism and has become part of daily life across cultures. “When we proposed International Yoga Day in the UN, the world responded not just with agreement, but with action — a commitment to humanity’s well-being,” he said.
BJP national president JP Nadda, who participated in the Yoga Day event in New Delhi, echoed the Prime Minister’s sentiments. He spoke about yoga as a deep, spiritual discipline that connects body, mind, and soul — not just a form of exercise. Nadda also acknowledged PM Modi’s pivotal role in elevating yoga to the global stage.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also marked the occasion by performing yoga at the Kishan Mela Ground in Pusa, New Delhi, joining countless others across the country.
From Andhra Pradesh to the national capital and beyond, the 11th International Day of Yoga witnessed enthusiastic participation nationwide, reinforcing yoga’s status as a unifying global practice.