PM Narendra Modi to address nation on International Yoga Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on the occasion of sixth International Yoga Day (June 21). The theme for this year is "Yoga from Home, Yoga with Family" keeping in mind the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The event will be celebrated on digital media platforms and there will be no mass gatherings, the government had said earlier.

During his address to the nation through Mann Ki Baat programme on May 31, PM Modi had said that as yoga is getting integrated with people's lives, the awareness about their health, is also continuously on the rise among them.

PM Modi had requested everyone to be a part of the International Yoga Day. He had said that these are time tested techniques, which have their own distinct significance.

A video blogging contest, 'My Life, My Yoga', has also been introduced this year and the last date for submission of entries is June 21. This global contest on the digital platform is jointly organised by the Ministry of AYUSH and the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR).

The aim of the video blogging competition, which was launched by the PM on May 31, is to raise awareness about yoga and to inspire people to prepare for and become active participants. The contest is being run on two legs -- the first one to select a winner within a country and the second to pick global prize winners.

To enter into the contest, a participant is required to upload a three-minute video of three yogic practices (kriya, asana, pranayama, bandha or mudra), including a short video message/description on how it influenced his or her life. They can do it in any language, Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha had said. Entries can be submitted by participants under three categories -- youth (male and female aged under 18), adults (male and female above 18 years), and yoga professionals, Kotecha had said.

International Day of Yoga is celebrated annually on June 21. June 21, 2015, marked the first celebration across India. PM Modi, along with several prominent leaders and dignitaries, performed yoga at Rajpath in New Delhi. Since then, Yoga Day has been celebrated with full fervour in India and abroad.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had in 2014 declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga, on the recommendation of PM Modi. Following which, several spiritual leaders also voiced their support in favour of the day. 

In 2019, the theme was Climate Action and the main event was held in Ranchi's Prabhat Tara ground. PM Modi joined the yoga session along with 18,000 people, including Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Ministers and senior officials of the state.