Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a record-setting yoga session with over 300,000 participants in Visakhapatnam during the 11th International Day of Yoga. The mass event, held along the Bay of Bengal, entered the Guinness Book of World Records and marked the culmination of Andhra Pradesh’s month-long Yogandhra Abhiyan campaign that engaged more than 21.7 million citizens.
Modi called yoga a unifier “beyond boundaries, backgrounds, or abilities” and described it as the world’s collective pause button—a practice to breathe, balance, and become whole. He highlighted how 175 countries supported India’s original UN proposal, with yoga now becoming part of daily life worldwide. He lauded participation from disabled individuals reading yogic texts in Braille, rural youth in Olympiads, and scientists practicing yoga in space.
He praised Andhra Pradesh leaders for their organizing efforts and called the Jan Bhagidari spirit evident. Nara Lokesh was commended for transforming yoga into an inclusive movement, and over 22,000 tribal students were recognized for setting a world record with 12 rounds of Surya Namaskar in 15 minutes.
Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav hailed Modi’s leadership in turning yoga into a global health movement celebrated in more than 180 countries. He listed 10 national signature events this year, including Harit Yoga and Yoga Sangam, celebrated by over 1 million organizations. Chandrababu Naidu noted that the scale of Andhra Pradesh’s campaign created multiple records and thanked Modi for choosing Visakhapatnam.
Elsewhere, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh joined events in Udhampur, Amit Shah in Ahmedabad, and Jagat Prakash Nadda in Delhi. More than 100 programs were organized in the capital alone. Modi’s leadership was repeatedly credited for positioning yoga as an enduring public wellness tradition on the global stage.
