On account of the 10th International Day of Yoga Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Jammu and Kashmir for a two-day visit and led the celebrations in Srinagar, said yoga can help the Union Territory attract more tourists which will provide new livelihood opportunities to the local residents. “For Kashmir, yoga can become such a big source of livelihood. It can become a centre of attraction for tourists,” Modi said in his address before joining the gathering to perform yoga at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) on the banks of Dal Lake. In his address at the event, he also urged people to make yoga a part of their daily routine and said that the world is looking at it as a powerful agent of global good. The United Nations has chosen theme ‘Yoga for Self and Society’ for the decennial year. Yoga as part of daily routine "We have to understand the importance of yoga in life. Just like brushing teeth or combing hair becomes a daily routine, with similar ease yoga becomes a process to follow when you get used to it. It keeps giving benefits every moment," he said. The main event was slated to begin at 6.30 am under the open sky, but was delayed and shifted indoors due to heavy rainfall. Officials said moderate to heavy rainfall was reported from across the Valley early Friday. However, Modi addressed the people after the rain stopped and lauded their determination to stay back even in adverse weather. "Our daughters used their yoga mats to protect themselves from rain but they did not leave. It is heartening to see," he said. He termed yoga as a "powerful agent of global good" and said it is making new ways of positive change in the society. "The world is looking at yoga as a powerful agent of global good. Yoga helps us live in the present moment without the baggage of the past," the prime minister said. He also said it has helped people realise that their welfare is linked to the welfare of the world around them. "When people talk about yoga, most of them think it is a spiritual journey as if it is to find Allah, Ishwar or God. Leave aside the spiritual journey, for now, you can focus on personal development and yoga is part of that. If you approach it that way, I am sure you will get a lot of benefits. Personal development leads to the benefit of the society which in turn leads to the benefit of humankind," he added. This event on yoga day was part of PM Modi's first visit to the union territory after being sworn in as a prime minister for the third time. - With PTI inputs
