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| India yoga: PM Narendra Modi leads thousands in celebration | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led thousands in a mass yoga programme in the capital, Delhi, on the first ever International Yoga Day. | |
| Mr Modi did stretches, bends and breathing exercises with 35,000 school children, bureaucrats and soldiers. | |
| Security was tight in the city with thousands of police and paramilitary deployed for Sunday morning's event. | Security was tight in the city with thousands of police and paramilitary deployed for Sunday morning's event. |
| Millions of others are expected to do yoga at similar events planned in hundreds of Indian cities and towns. | |
| Mr Modi, a yoga enthusiast who says he practises the ancient Indian art daily, lobbied the United Nations to declare 21 June International Yoga Day. | |
| Thousands of colourful mats were laid out on Rajpath - King's Avenue - where the main event was held. | Thousands of colourful mats were laid out on Rajpath - King's Avenue - where the main event was held. |
| Officials had earlier said the prime minister will attend the event and address the gathering, but not do yoga. | |
| But Mr Modi surprised participants by joining in with the exercises. | |
| On glacier and at sea | On glacier and at sea |
| Authorities said 35,000 people 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. | |
| Guinness officials said they would announce the results in a few hours. | |
| Yoga was also being performed on the Siachen glacier and the high seas, the defence ministry said. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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: | International Yoga Day in numbers: |