IDY this year not a mere one-day affair but 100-day season, say Ayush officials

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead this year’s International Yoga Day celebrations by performing a 45-minute Common Yoga Protocol at a national-level event in Visakhapatnam on June 21, marking the 11th edition of the annual celebration.

Union Ayush Minister Prataprao Jadhav announced during a curtain-raiser event in New Delhi on Thursday.

Advertisement

The minister lauded Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for his leadership and long-term plans to strengthen the state’s yoga tradition. “Yogaabhiyan, an initiative by the Andhra Pradesh government, is a historic effort aiming to mobilize nearly 10 lakh yoga practitioners—a truly ambitious and unprecedented undertaking,” said Jadhav.

During a press briefing, the minister elaborated on the ten signature events planned by the ministry for this year’s International Yoga Day celebrations.

Ministry officials emphasized a shift in approach this year, describing the celebration as a “seasonal saga” rather than a single-day event.

“Yoga Day is not just a one-day celebration this year – it’s a 100-day season,” said Ranjit Kumar, Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Ministry of Ayush.

Kumar highlighted the successful organisation of four major countdown events held 100, 75, 50, and 25 days before IDY, in New Delhi (March 13), Bhubaneswar (April 7), Nashik (May 2), and Puducherry (May 27). Each event reportedly saw large-scale participation and was part of the ministry’s broader campaign leading up to June 21.

Responding to a media query on the decline in international participation – from 175 countries in the inaugural year to just 60 in recent years – Minister Jadhav said the ministry expects participation from over 170 countries this year.

“Sixty countries have already begun aligning their activities with India’s 100-day celebration plan,” he said. “However, like previous years, most countries are expected to observe the main event on June 21 as a one-day celebration.”