
Navy personnel celebrate International Yoga Day on-board INS Vikramaditya
A video shared by the Navy showed personnel performing various yoga asanas on the ship's deck.
Apart from this, 11,000 personnel from the Eastern Naval Command, along with their family members, performed yoga onboard Indian Navy ships and across the Vizag coastline.
Eastern Naval Command is proud to join hands with YogAndhra 2025, a landmark initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of Ayush and the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, celebrating the International Day of Yoga in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam, an official statement from the Indian Navy said.
Apart from this, the Indian Army also organised a yoga session at the world's highest battlefield, in Siachen. Multiple soldiers, veterans, families and children participated in the session.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in the 11th International Day of Yoga celebrations, where he hailed yoga as a gift 'beyond age' that transcends all boundaries and unites humanity in 'health and harmony.'
The event took place against the scenic backdrop of the Visakhapatnam coastline, with Indian Navy ships stationed near the shore, adding to the grandeur of the celebrations.
The Prime Minister praised the efforts of the Andhra Pradesh government and extended his appreciation to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan for hosting the event in Visakhapatnam. He lauded their leadership as 'inspiring' and described the state's initiative to promote yoga as 'commendable.'
Over three lakh individuals joined him for a mass yoga session in the coastal city, reinforcing this year's message that 'yoga belongs to everyone' and brings the world together.
The Prime Minister recalled India's initiative at the United Nations in 2014 to declare June 21 as International Yoga Day, a move that received wide global support in record time. (ANI)
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