New Delhi, June 21 (IANS) Lakhs of people joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi and performed Yoga on Friday as the country observed 5th International Day of Yoga.
Modi performed yoga along with around 30,000 people in Ranchi for around 45 minutes at the Prabhat Tara ground.
Addressing the participants, Modi said, "Yoga has always been associated with peace and harmony. I thank people for adopting Yoga. I urge people to embrace it."
He also spoke in English for a few minutes to reach out to the global audience.
Saying "Yoga is beyond caste, religion, region and any boundaries", the Prime Minister said, "there is a solution to alcoholism and diabetes in Yoga".
While the prime minister was participating in Ranchi, the President participated in an indoor event in Parliament along with others.
President Ram Nath Kovind, who took part in an indoor event in Parliament, said in a tweet: "On #InternationalDayofYoga best wishes to all practitioners of yoga across the world. Yoga is India's gift to humanity; it holds the key to healthy living and to that fine balance between mind and body. Do become a part of the celebration of yoga."
Newly-appointed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also participated in an event in the Parliament premises.
The prime minister was joined by several other participants who performed yoga in their respective regions.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel also participated in the yoga session at the majestic snow-covered Rohtang Pass, located at an altitude of 13,050 feet in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district.
According to the officials, the personnel performed yoga on a snow-covered slope in minus 10 degrees Celsius temperature early morning.
Thousands of people in the national capital also celebrated the fifth International Yoga Day on Friday, by participating in various events to mark the day.
Some 18,000 individuals took part in an event organised in Rajpath where they performed yoga. The participants included Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The New Delhi Municipal Council estimated the number of participants to be even more than 18,000.
It is for the first time that the event did not use plastic yoga mats as these were replaced with Khadi mats.
International Yoga Day is celebrated annually since its inception by Modi in 2015.
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