Nearly 2,000 pregnant women set a record by performing yoga in Rajkot, as nearly 1.25 crore people today took part in the second International Yoga Day celebrations held at around 40,000 venues across Gujarat.
Chief Minister Anandiben Patel along with Governor O P Kohli and many other religious and spiritual leaders were present at state-level celebration held at GMDC ground here.
“Nearly 1.25 crore people today participated in this second edition of International Day of Yoga, celebrated at 40,000 different places across Gujarat. In Rajkot, 2,000 pregnant women set a world record by performing yoga while 8,000 children on this ground set a world record by making a human chain,” Patel told mediapersons after the event.
The CM practised ‘asanas’ for almost 40 minutes along with more than 30,000 participants, including IPS and IAS officers, MLAs, corporators and BJP leaders, who gathered at the ground this morning.
Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court R Subhash Reddy and Justice K S Jhaveri also practised yoga with other dignitaries.
Ministers and local MLAs and MPs took part in the celebrations in their respective regions.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda participated in a yoga session held at Nikol area of the city today morning.
In his recorded message, played before the mass demonstration of ‘Common Yoga Protocol’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his best wishes to the participants.
The PM also expressed happiness at the rising awareness about yoga and its benefits.
“I am glad that people are now seeing yoga as not just a tool to get better health, but as an important part of daily life to achieve complete wellness. I am confident that the whole world will join this yoga movement and move in the direction of achieving wellness,” Modi said in his recorded message.
While the Chief Minister said that 2000 pregnant women had taken part in the event, Rajkot District Collector Vikrant Pandey said 1600 women participated in the event.
He claimed they have broken an earlier record set by China.
“Nearly 1,600 pregnant women today took part in the 2nd International Yoga Day and broke the earlier record of 913 pregnant women performing yoga set in China. We have recorded the event and the recording would be sent to jury members of Guinness Book of World Records,” Pandey said.
“All the women were maximum three months pregnant and were given special training before taking part in the event,” he said, adding that 18 gynaecologists, health teams and 108 ambulance service were made available to meet any emergency.
The event was organised by the district authorities at Swaminarayan temple located on Kalavad road.
BJP state unit president Vijay Rupani, Collector Vikrant Pandey, RMC Commissioner Vijay Nehra, Mayor Jaiman Upadhyay, Deputy Mayor Darshita Shah also took part in anothet event organised on the Race Course ground.
Over 2.5 lakh people in Rajkot district took part in the event organised at nearly 260 places like government schools, colleges, government offices like PGVCL, Post Office, Western Railway (Rajkot division) and Saurashtra University.
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