As the world readies to mark the 10th International Day of Yoga on June 21, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Director General K Nandini Singla has credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for transforming Yoga into a global wellness movement. She hailed it as India’s most successful cultural diplomacy initiative to date.
In an interview with ANI, Singla said, “Yoga has become one of the biggest success stories in cultural diplomacy. From being a part of India’s ancient knowledge systems, it is now a truly global brand. The entire credit goes to PM Modi, whose visionary leadership took Yoga to the United Nations and led to the declaration of June 21 as International Day of Yoga.”
Singla emphasized that every country now celebrates the day, reflecting the universal appeal of Yoga and its message of holistic health. Since the UNGA adopted India’s proposal in 2014, Yoga has gained global momentum, she added.
She also highlighted the contributions of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and ICCR in promoting Yoga abroad through Indian missions and cultural centres. “For this year’s IDY, we began preparations six months ago,” she said, detailing a systematic countdown — from 100 days down to the final event. Over 200 Indian embassies have hosted Yoga sessions worldwide, funded and coordinated by ICCR.
This year’s theme, “Yoga for One Earth, One Health,” aligns with the broader philosophy of interconnected human and planetary well-being. “Yoga isn’t just about flexibility or physical postures. It’s about inner stillness, breath control, and peace — the essence of real health,” Singla noted.
PM Modi is scheduled to lead the national celebration from Visakhapatnam, where nearly 5 lakh participants are expected to join him for a beachfront mass Yoga session following the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP).
Parallelly, over 3.5 lakh Yoga Sangam events will take place across India, making this one of the largest synchronized wellness movements globally.
Digital campaigns like ‘Yoga with Family’ and ‘Yoga Unplugged’ have been launched through platforms like MyGov and MyBharat to encourage public engagement, especially among the youth.
The Prime Minister’s Office stated that this year’s theme reinforces India’s ancient philosophy of “Sarve Santu Niramaya” (May all be free from disease), underlining the importance of collective health in an interconnected world.
Since 2015, PM Modi has led International Day of Yoga celebrations from diverse locations such as New Delhi, Chandigarh, Mysuru, Lucknow, Srinagar, and even the UN Headquarters in New York, reflecting Yoga’s journey from Indian roots to global recognition.
