Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in a historic celebration of International Yoga Day on Saturday morning in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, where lakhs gathered in a massive coastal event hailed as one of the world’s largest yoga congregations.
Organised across a 26-kilometre stretch from Ramakrishna Beach to Bhogapuram, the event commenced around 6 am and aimed to create global records, including one recognised by Guinness World Records. With an expected turnout of five lakh participants, the celebration highlighted India’s growing influence in promoting yoga as a global wellness discipline.
Mega-scale participation and security measures
The Andhra Pradesh government, under Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership, ensured elaborate preparations for the event, including the deployment of over 3,000 buses to bring in yoga practitioners. The event site was divided into 326 designated sections, each accommodating nearly 1,000 participants.
To manage the scale and the Prime Minister’s presence, more than 10,000 police personnel were deployed, supplemented by 1,200 CCTV cameras and drone surveillance. A state-of-the-art control room managed overall security and coordination throughout the event zone.
Community participation and educational vision
Demonstrating the state’s commitment, a special yoga demonstration by 25,000 tribal students performing ‘Surya Namaskar’ for 108 continuous minutes took place at the Andhra University campus, aiming to break records for the largest and most synchronized performance of the traditional sequence.
In line with encouraging long-term adoption, Chief Minister Naidu announced plans to integrate yoga into the school curriculum from Class 9 and proposed establishing a deemed university dedicated to yoga education. He also advocated for a formal Yoga Day declaration promoting yoga as a lifestyle choice.
Massive public response and promotional drive
The initiative witnessed overwhelming public response, with event registrations crossing 2.39 crore—far exceeding the initial target of 2 crore. The state ran a month-long promotional campaign titled ‘Yogandhra’, which included over 15,000 yoga competitions at various administrative levels, creating a robust grassroots connection with the ancient practice.
In anticipation of the event, officials prepared 1.3 lakh yoga venues across Andhra Pradesh and made contingency arrangements for 30,000 additional participants in Visakhapatnam. Authorities also arranged the distribution of 3.32 lakh t-shirts and 5 lakh yoga mats to support participants during the event.