PM Narendra Modi launches International Day of Yoga website

PARIS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched a portal for the International Day of Yoga here, describing the ancient Indian spiritual practice as capable of awakening a sense of oneness.

Flanked by UNESCO Director General Irena Bukova, Modi officially launched the idayofyoga.org website after addressing a gathering at the UNESCO headquarters that included a large number of NRIs.

The various Indian embassies and consulates will be able to contribute to this portal by outlining and publicising their events to maximise participation.

The website, developed by IT services major Tech Mahindra as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative to "honour Modi's vision of Yoga as a globally uniting force", intends to be a one-stop solution for all information related to the International Day of Yoga, 2015.

The company will "further leverage digital technologies like mobile applications and social media to ensure that there is global awareness of this key event", it said in a statement.

In his UNESCO address, Modi called for a change in lifestyle "because the emission reduction that we seek will be the natural outcome of how we live".

"It is with this vision that I had called the United Nations General Assembly last September to declare June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.

"Yoga awakens a sense of oneness and harmony with self, society and nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change and create a more balanced world," Modi said.

Yoga is the 5,000-year-old Indian physical, mental and spiritual practice that aims to transform body and mind.

The UN adopted an India-led resolution declaring June 21 as 'International Day of Yoga' in December last year, less than three months after Modi proposed the idea.

The resolution was overwhelmingly co-sponsored and adopted in the world body, recognising that "Yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being".