NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 21, 2015 (Times of India): On a humid summer morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stretched his arms, bent his legs, rolled his neck and twisted every sinew in his body as India celebrated the first International Day of Yoga with gusto, muscling into the Guinness World Records.
Late Sunday evening, it was announced that the Union ministry of Ayush had set two records — for the largest yoga session ever with 35,985 participants and for most nationalities, 84, taking part at a single venue. The earlier record on the first count was held by Vivekanand Kendra, a Gwalior-based institute, with 29,973 participants.
All of last week, the hype surrounding the event was more like a forthcoming Salman film or a world heavyweight title bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Or, both put together. Yet nothing really prepared you for what you saw — a prime minister, literally on the mat, staring at the sky at Rajpath, one of the capital’s most toffee-nosed boulevards.
Kapalbhati, bhujang aasan, trikon aasan, bharadwaj aasan and more — Modi did the entire 35-minute yoga routine, even taking a brief break to supervise the children behind him. The PM was dressed for the occasion: a full-sleeve white T-shirt and pyjama with a tricolor stole he used to wipe his sweat. But for a brief pranayam, yoga guru Baba Ramdev sat quietly on stage. This was Modi’s show.
It wasn’t just Delhi. The event spread across India from the silver stretches of the Rann of Kutch to INS Virat on the high seas, to passengers in mid-air on morning flights. Ayush is estimated to have spent Rs 30-40 crore organizing the event across 650 camps. Abroad, enthusiasts spread themselves below the towering irons of Eiffel Tower and the phlegmatic temples of Cambodia.
For a great set of pictures of the day around the world:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/photos/inspiring-photos-millions-bending-international-yoga-day-31929796/image-31930067