Nellore (Andhra Pradesh) [India], June 21 : As part of the International Yoga Day celebrations, a massive yoga session was organised at the AC Subba Reddy Stadium in Nellore city in Andhra Pradesh, with Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy and District Collector O Anand leading the event.
Addressing the gathering, MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy highlighted the significance of yoga under the motto "One Earth, One Health." He noted that over 20 million people across India and 11 lakh participants from Nellore district alone had registered for Yoga Day events. The district saw programs conducted at 7,000 locations under the YogAndhra initiative.
Reddy recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially declared *June 21 as International Yoga Day in 2015, and since then, it has been celebrated globally. He emphasised yoga's role in fostering health, wealth, and happiness, stating that it can help manage physical ailments and should be taught to children early. He praised the district administration for the large-scale event and urged citizens to make yoga a daily habit for lifelong benefits.
"Yoga promotes health, wealth, and happiness. Yoga can help alleviate certain physical ailments, so parents must teach yoga to their children from a young age"
District Collector O Anand stated that the state government's directives led to the successful execution of the YogAndhra program across 7,000 venues, guided by trained instructors. The sessions, held at divisional, mandal, and village levels, will continue throughout the month. Today's stadium event alone saw 10,000 participants.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the international community to embrace "inner peace" as a "global policy' and make yoga a collective global responsibility.
Speaking at the 11th International Day of Yoga celebrations in Visakhapatnam, the Prime Minister called upon countries to adopt yoga not just as a personal or cultural practice, but as a unifying force for humanity.
"I would like to take this opportunity to urge the global community on this important occasion to let this International Yoga Day mark the beginning of Yoga for Humanity. Let this be the day when inner peace becomes a global policy, where yoga is embraced not just as a personal practice, but as a powerful tool for global partnership and unity. Let every country and every society make yoga a shared responsibility, a common contribution toward collective well-being," the Prime Minister said.
The event was held along the scenic Visakhapatnam coastline, with Indian Navy ships stationed near the shore, adding to the grandeur of the celebration.
PM Modi was joined by lakhs of yoga enthusiasts, residents, and dignitaries from Andhra Pradesh.