Amit Shah leads 12th International Yoga Day session in Ahmedabad with Gujarat Dy CM
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah led a mass yoga session at Prahladnagar Garden in Ahmedabad on 21 June 2025, marking the 12th International Yoga Day alongside Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi and hundreds of residents. The morning programme was part of a nationwide and global observance of the annual event.
Key Developments at the Ahmedabad Event
The session brought together elected representatives, civic leaders, students, youth, and yoga enthusiasts for a collective demonstration of various yoga asanas. Ahmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot, Deputy Mayor Anju Shah, and civic representative Devang Dani were among those present at the Prahladnagar Garden venue.
Participants spanning multiple age groups took part in the exercises, underscoring the broad public interest in yoga as a tool for physical fitness and mental well-being.
This Year's Theme: Yoga for Healthy Ageing
The 12th International Yoga Day was centred on the theme 'Yoga for Healthy Ageing', emphasising yoga's role in supporting lifelong health and wellness across generations. The theme reflects a growing global focus on preventive healthcare and active ageing.
This comes amid sustained government efforts to mainstream yoga as a public health initiative — a push that has gained significant momentum since India first proposed the international observance at the United Nations in 2014, with 21 June formally adopted as International Yoga Day in 2015.
What Gujarat Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi Said
Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi shared a message on his X handle following the event: 'A Step Towards a Healthy Body, a Peaceful Mind, and a Strong Nation - Yoga.' His participation alongside a senior Union minister underlined the political emphasis placed on Yoga Day observances this year.
Wider Observances Across Gujarat
The Ahmedabad event was one of several collective yoga sessions held across Gujarat to mark the occasion. Programmes were organised at multiple locations throughout the state, reflecting the continued expansion of Yoga Day participation at the grassroots level.
Internationally, Yoga Day observances took place in countries across the world, with India's diplomatic missions and cultural bodies coordinating events in multiple cities. The day continues to grow as one of the most widely participated UN-recognised health observances globally.