The 5th International Day of Yoga (IDY) was celebrated by the Indian High Commission with around 7,000 people doing Yoga together at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. 

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan and State Minister of Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury graced the programme. 

Indian High Commissioner Riva Ganguly Das delivered the welcome remarks.

The celebrations of IDY commenced with the screening of a video message of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sports associations, Yoga associations and institutes, students from various schools, colleges and universities participated in the celebrations of IDY. Celebrities including sports personalities, popular film actors, singers, among others, also participated at the event.

The 5th International Day of Yoga (IDY) was celebrated by the Indian High Commission at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on June 21, 2019. Photo: Amran Hossain/ STAR

Experts and students of Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) demonstrated Common Yoga Protocol and yoga asanas.

Similar events were also organised in other cities of Bangladesh by the HCI and Assistant High Commissions of India.

Apart from the above, various other Yoga organisations and institutes also organised separate programmes, including yoga demonstrations and a mass yoga session, to mark the IDY event.

The United Nations proclaimed June 21 as the International Yoga Day on December 11, 2014.

The resolution establishing the International Day of Yoga was proposed by India and co-sponsored by a record 175 member states.

A total of 175 nations co-sponsored the resolution, the highest number for any UN resolution.

Since 2015, the International Day of Yoga has been celebrated on a large scale in Bangladesh.

Around 7,000 people joined the yoga sessions together at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on June 21, 2019. Photo: Amran Hossain/ STAR

Entry to the event was free. All participants received, on first-come-first-served basis, free yoga mats, t-shirts and water bottles.

Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolising the union of body and consciousness.

Today it is practised in various forms around the world and continues to grow in popularity, according to the UN.

The International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga. The theme of 2019 is ‘Climate Action’.