United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon performed Yoga at the UN Headquarters in New York on Sunday.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had earlier said that yoga should not be seen as belonging to any particular religion, adding that the ancient Indian exercise of healing is a science of well-being, while addressing the International Day of Yoga at the United Nations here.
She also said the International Day of Yoga is a perfect platform to bring the world together in a spirit of unity and harmony.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dubbed the International Yoga Day as the beginning of a new era of peace and goodwill, thanking all those who have contributed to the development of the great discipline.
Dressed in all-white and a tricolour scarf, Prime Minister Modi performed a variety of poses, including the Vajrasan and Padmasan, at the Rajpath where an estimated 40,000 people participated in the celebrations. Nearly 2,000 digital cinema screens were set up across Rajpath for the people to witness the live streaming of the performance of yoga asanas.
Similar yoga events took place simultaneously across India, with Chief Ministers like Vasundhara Raje, Chandrababu Naidu, Devendra Fadnavis and Raghubar Das joining in.
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The yoga celebrations are being organised after the United Nations had in December last year declared June 21 as International Yoga Day.
The idea of celebrating the International Yoga Day was pitched by Prime Minister Modi at the United Nations General Assembly last year.