The yoga event will take place on the banks of Srinagar's Dal Lake.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the 10th International Yoga Day celebrations this morning from Jammu and Kashmir -- an event that has received massive national and global attention in which the location plays no small part.
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The yoga event took place on the banks of Srinagar's Dal Lake, at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Complex. This year's theme, "Yoga for Self and Society", emphasises yoga's vital role in fostering individual well-being and social harmony.
Moderate to heavy rain was reported throughout the Kashmir Valley. Rainfall was also witnessed around Dal Lake. PM Modi did different yoga asanas in an indoor hall along with a reduced number of guests due to the rain in Srinagar.
The 30-minute yoga session was supposed to begin at 7 am but was delayed due to the rain. The event is being attended by, among others, Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha and Ayush Minister Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav.
Over the years, PM Modi has led Yoga Day celebrations at various iconic locations, including Delhi's Kartavya Path, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Ranchi and Jabalpur. Last year, he led the events at the UN Headquarters in New York, which is expected to bring more attention to the Srinagar programme.
Jammu and Kashmir has made headlines lately because of its record turnouts during the recently concluded general election and the terror backlash that followed. This month, four attacks have taken place in the Jammu region, including the attack on a busful of pilgrims in Reasi district that claimed 10 lives.
Massive security drills have taken place in and around Srinagar. High alert has been declared across the district. The Special Protection Group has conducted mock drills on all the routes leading to the SKICC. The venue of the function - taken over by the SPG two days ahead of the Prime Minister's visit -- has been thoroughly sanitised.
In addition to SPG, Marco commandos of the navy are stationed around the SKICC. Deep combing operations have regularly been taking place at the Dal Lake. The area has been declared a "No-drone zone".
As a special initiative, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is organising a unique initiative, 'Yoga for Space', to mark the International Day of Yoga 2024. All scientists and officials of ISRO will perform Yoga together as per the Common Yoga Protocol guidelines.
The team from the Gaganyaan project is also set to join the global campaign of International Yoga Day by practicing yoga on the occasion.
The Prime Minister, who reached Srinagar today, is on his first visit to the state after being elected for a historic third term. At an event for the young people on Thursday evening at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Complex, he said the assembly polls and statehood for Jammu and Kashmir are "not far off".
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