Braving morning showers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined 51,000 participants to perform Yoga on Third International Yoga day creating a record in lucknow on Wednesday.
The PM did not think twice before coming out of the water proof dais to join the participants and school children as rains lashed Rama Bai Ambedkar grounds.
Governor Ram Naik, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma followed suit.
Dressed in a white t-shirt and a white track pant, Modi took the role of an expert Yoga teacher and corrected postures of several participants.
“It was a nice gesture by the Prime Minister to come out of the comfort of his water proof tent and do Yoga with us in the open. It was not easy. Yoga mats were wet and slippery and water puddles were all around,” 18-year-old student Neha Prakash said.
Rain was expected as the Meteorological department had earlier predicted about 22 mm rains which proved correct and it started raining around 4 am.
Yoga instructor with 'Art of living', Renuka Sharma said that since the Met office had predicted rains, they were mentally prepared (for rain). “I had come with an umbrella but it was of no use. It was the first rain of the season and doing Yoga amid shower was a new experience,” she said.
Unmindful of rains, the PM continued with his 'asanas' and completed his regimen in 20 minutes, while the CM and the Governor were still grappling with their `asanas’ and drenched clothes.
During his brief speech. Modi spoke about the importance of Yoga and how the entire world had accepted this Indian tradition which has a scientific backing.
"Yoga is about health assurance and Yoga gives you health insurance at zero cost. It is not even expensive to practise Yoga. I urge everyone to make Yoga a part of their lives as it is the gateway to wellness,” the PM said.
Enthused over such a large participation of people in inclement weather, he joked that lucknow has shown the world how a Yoga mat could be used differently during rains. He was referring to people using the mats as shield to protect themselves from rains.
The Pm said that Yoga has created job opportunity for youths. "I am glad to see several Yoga institutes coming up in the last three years because the demand of trained Yoga teachers has increased. This demand is creating new jobs. As a pinch of salt is important ingredient of food, similarly Yoga is important as it keeps the body fit and mind alert," said he.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who also spoke on the occasion, said,"Yoga is an 'art of living' and it should be adopted by every individual. I welcome the PM for taking this Indian art to the global platform. In UP, Yoga is being performed with great enthusiasm. The rains cannot deter these people.”
This was the third International Yoga Day. The first two were organized in Delhi and Chandigarh respectively. “This is the biggest Yoga show. Over 50,000 people including children took part in Yoga at one place. It has been raining since morning, but there is no let down in the enthusiasm of volunteers. This event will surely create a new record,” District Magistrate of lucknow, Kaushal Raj Sharma said.