Ananya Lohia , Kolkata - Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday led the country's 12th International Day of Yoga celebrations from Kolkata's Red Road, where thousands of participants joined a mass yoga session. Addressing the gathering, Modi said yoga has evolved into the world's largest community celebration and highlighted this year's theme, "Yoga for Healthy Ageing"- saying: "Our target is to be more flexible at 40 than we were at 20, and to be more energetic than we were at 50 than we were at 30."

Emphasising the importance of lifelong fitness and well-being, the Prime Minister said the goal should be to remain more flexible, energetic and healthier with age. This year's theme focused on the role of yoga in promoting physical health, mental well-being, emotional resilience and active ageing, contributing to an improved quality of life. The celebrations in West Bengal began with a "Run for Yoga" programme on June 19, followed by the yoga-themed cultural event "Vande Yogam" on the Hooghly River on June 20.

International Yoga Day was celebrated across nearly 2,500 locations worldwide, with more than 210 Indian missions and posts organising events. Several Union ministers, including Amit Shah, S Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh, participated in programmes across the country, underscoring yoga's growing global appeal as a movement for health, harmony and collective well-being.

With large-scale participation in India and abroad, the 12th International Day of Yoga once again showcased yoga's global reach and reinforced its message of healthy living, wellness and unity.