Kolkata, 12 June (H.S.) : Kolkata is preparing to host the International Yoga Day celebrations on June 21, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to lead the flagship event in the city. Extensive arrangements are underway, and hundreds of yoga instructors have been mobilised to ensure the smooth conduct of the programme, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of participants.

Abhijit Ghosh, yoga instructor and Director of VYASA Kolkata, said that 600 yoga teachers and demonstrators have been selected to oversee and coordinate the event. The selection process was recently completed at the Sports Authority of India complex, and both online and offline training sessions are currently being conducted to ensure that participants follow a uniform yoga protocol during the celebrations.

The event, being organised in Kolkata for the first time, is expected to be one of the largest Yoga Day gatherings in the country. The newly formed BJP government is aiming to transform the programme into a mass movement and is reportedly targeting a Guinness World Record for participation.

State authorities have already instructed district administrations and various government departments to facilitate participation from people across different sections of society. Organisers expect between 30,000 and 40,000 people to perform yoga simultaneously during the main event on June 21.

According to Ghosh, the celebrations will extend beyond Kolkata and include special yoga sessions on boats in the River Ganga. He said preparations are underway to attempt a new world record by linking 500 boats together for a mass yoga demonstration. The current Guinness World Record for yoga conducted on boats stands at 450 participants.

Organisers have also planned yoga programmes across multiple locations in the state, including the banks of the Ganga, the Sundarbans, villages and urban centres. The objective, they said, is to take the message and benefits of yoga to every section of society and ensure widespread public participation in the global event.

Prime Minister Modi has been leading International Yoga Day celebrations at different locations across the country since the United Nations declared June 21 as International Day of Yoga in 2014. The Kolkata event is expected to attract national and international attention due to its scale and the participation of thousands of yoga enthusiasts.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh