PM Narendra Modi obliges people with selfies at International Yoga Day celebrations

CHANDIGARH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who today joined over 30,000 people here for the second International Yoga Day celebrations, freely mingled with the participants, obliging them with selfies and talking briefly with the 'divyangs'.

Soon after addressing the gathering for about 25 minutes, Modi climbed down from the podium but before joining the participants to perform "asanas", went straight to meet the 'divyangs', the nomenclature coined by him for the differently-abled, youths and people from economically weaker sections.

For the first time, 150 divyangs were assisted in performing Yoga 'asanas' at the Capitol Complex here, the venue of the mega event.

Modi also interacted with the inmates of Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre (PRC), Mohali, who were doing 'asanas' on wheel-chairs.

A group of 16 such inmates, many of them from the Army who have been left paralysed owing to injuries sustained during various operations, had come to the Capitol Complex here today to participate in the Yoga Day celebrations.

Modi then walked around, surveying people performing 'asanas' before settling down on a mat and joining them.

The Prime Minister then participated in a mass demonstration of 'Common Yoga Protocol'.

Dressed in a white-coloured t-shirt and track pants along with a scarf, Modi skipped the VVIP front row where Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, State's Health Minister Anil Vij, Haryana BJP President Subhash Barala, Ambala MP R L Kataria and Kalka MLA Latika Sharma were performing 'asanas', and occupied a mat in one of the back rows with other participants.

A yoga enthusiast himself, Modi performed 'asanas' for nearly 25 minutes on the red-coloured carpet.

Towards the end, Modi freely mingled with the participants, who surrounded him from all sides, giving them a rare opportunity to take selfies with the Prime Minister, who willingly obliged.

Secretary AYUSH, Ajit Mohan Sharan and a number of bureaucrats from Haryana, Union Minister Vijay Sampla, Chandigarh BJP President Sanjay Tandon also performed 'asanas' on the occasion.

Punjab Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and AYUSH Minister Shirpad Naik were seated on the dias.