With 1.25 lakh participants, International Yoga Day event in Surat sets new Guinness World Record

The organisers divided them into 125 blocks, each containing 1,000 participants, over a 12 km stretch on the main road starting from Vesu to the ONGC circle and across the Y junction, which is the centre of the stretch. (Express photo by Hanif Malek)

In the last few days, the Surat Municipal Corporation, the police department and the district administration worked hard with several individuals to make the International Yoga Day event in Surat a historic event.

People started to flock to Surat at 5 am for the event. The organisers divided them into 125 blocks, each containing 1,000 participants, over a 12 km stretch on the main road starting from Vesu to the ONGC circle and across the Y junction, which is the centre of the stretch.

C R Paatil said, “We have to take lessons from PM Narendra Modi about fitness which he has attained by doing regular yoga practice. Today Surat has set a world record. Those who were lucky reached the spot at the Y junction to become a part of the world record. Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed the world the importance of yoga, a tool to keep us mentally and physically fit. There is no side effect to yoga. More than 176 countries have adopted International Yoga Day.”

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said, “Yogacharyas and rishi munis (sages) have shown us how to lead a healthy and stressless life by practising yoga daily. During the Covid pandemic, we witnessed yoga as an important tool like Sanjeevani. The world has today accepted India’s rich culture by practising yoga on International Yoga Day.”

He added, “1.25 crore people are celebrating International Yoga Day at 72,000 locations in Gujarat. This year, our yoga day theme is ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family). The meaning of yoga is to connect and get connected. Under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi, we have promoted and formed Yog Board in Gujarat and given employment to 5,000 people across the state. They are imparting free training to people at different places in Gujarat. We are also planning to start 21 yoga studios.”

The session took place in the presence of Guinness World Records officials. (Express photo by Hanif Malek)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-day tour to the United States, addressed the gathering virtually, and said, “Today, at 5.30 pm Indian Standard Time, the delegates of 180 countries will practice yoga at the United Nations headquarters, making it a historical event.”

PM Modi said, “The International Yoga Day celebrated on June 21 is a global platform to raise awareness about various benefits of practising yoga. When the proposal for Yoga Day reached the UN General Assembly in 2014, a record number of countries supported it. Since then till date, International Yoga Day has been celebrated on June 21 across the world.”

He added, “This year, the theme of the G20 summit led by India is ‘One earth, one family and one future’. Those who have been associated with yoga for the last few years might have experienced the power of yoga. We (India) have always nurtured connecting, implementing, and accepting the tradition. We have always welcomed new ideas. We must portray and set an example of ‘Ek Bharat Shresht Bharat’ to the world.”