Lt Governor Kiran Bedi led participants at a mass yoga demonstration here on the occasion of International Yoga Day today.
She joined around 6,000 school and college students, officials and NCC volunteers and performed as many as 40 different asanas lasting nearly 90 minutes from 6.30 AM on the Beach Road here.
Chief Minister V.Narayanasamy and his ministerial colleagues, who were scheduled to participate in the yoga day celebration, were conspicuous by their absence as they had flown to Yanam to participate in government functions there.
They are later scheduled to visit Delhi from Yanam to meet the Prime Minister and others in the capital, an official said.
Addressing the participants, Bedi said, "We are all moving towards one world. Yoga is real humanity. Yoga is coming from our Vedas. All over the world yoga isbeing celebrated as it unites mind, body and soul. Yoga stands for unity and harmony."
Director General of Police of Puducherry Sunil Kumar Gautam, Secretary to Lt Governor G.Theva Needhi Das, Vice Chancellor of Pondicherry University Anisa Basheer Khan, officials of various departments and representatives of different organisations were among the participants.
The entire two km stretch of beach road was thronged by long rows of participants.
Bedi later told reporters that yoga "is the best gift India has given to nine billion people across the world.I want to thank my leader Prime Minister Narendra Modi who took this cause up in General Assembly of the United Nations (for declaring International Yoga Day)...," she said.
By the initiative, Modi had united the humanity, she said.
The Lt Governor said she was committed to serve "...Every breath of my life to realise the objective of prosperous Puducherry and prosperous India.
