India yoga: Thousands attend Modi-inspired event

Yoga Day participants prepare for the event on Rajpath, Delhi 21 June 2015 — Participants arrived early in the morning for the session on Rajpath in Delhi

Thousands have taken part in a mass yoga programme in the Indian capital, Delhi, on the first ever International Yoga Day.

Security was tight in the city with thousands of police and paramilitary deployed for Sunday morning's event.

Thousands of colourful mats were laid out on Rajpath - King's Avenue - where the main event was held.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed participants, but officials said he would not do any yoga himself.

Mr Modi, a yoga enthusiast who says he practices the ancient Indian art daily, lobbied the United Nations to declare 21 June International Yoga Day.

On glacier and at sea

Authorities say more than 35,000 bureaucrats, soldiers and students attended the 35-minute yoga session on Rajpath, aimed at setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest yoga class at a single venue.

Millions of others were expected to do yoga at similar events planned in hundreds of Indian cities and towns.

null — Soldiers will be among the 35,000 people taking part in the early morning yoga session

Yoga was also being performed on the Siachen glacier and the high seas, the defence ministry said.

The day is also being celebrated around the world and Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj says "tens of millions" will do yoga on Sunday.

Ms Swaraj herself will be in New York where she will attend the celebrations with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. In Times Square, 30,000 people are expected to do yoga.

But the day, being billed as one to promote "harmony and peace", has hit a controversial note with some Muslim organisations saying yoga is essentially a Hindu religious practice and is against Islam.

Many others say Mr Modi's Hindu nationalist government has an agenda in promoting the ancient Indian discipline. However, the authorities deny the charge - they say participation in the yoga day is not mandatory and reports that Muslims are opposed to yoga are exaggerated.

International Yoga Day in numbers:

35,000 officials, soldiers and students attend the main event on Rajpath in Delhi, PM Narendra Modi to attend
Cost of Delhi event 300m rupees ($4.67m; £2.97m)
650 of India's 676 districts participating
Of the 193 UN member countries, celebrations will be held in 192 countries - the exception is Yemen, because of the conflict there
Events being held in 251 cities in six continents
30,000 people to perform yoga in Times Square in New York