New Delhi/Udhampur – On June 21, 2025, India celebrated the 11th International Day of Yoga (IDY) with large scale coordinated yoga exercises attended by more than 9 lakh NCC cadets along with 2,500+ soldiers of the Indian Army. This impressive display from Leh’s Himalayan ranges to Kanyakumari in the south and from Gujarat’s Statue of Unity to far off Arunachal Pradesh exemplifies India’s enduring dedication to health and holistic spiritual practice as well as its unyielding fitness culture.
NCC’s Pan-India Participation
9+ lakh NCC cadets performed yoga simultaneously across iconic public locations like-
- Triveni Ghats (Rishikesh), Marina Beach (Chennai), Statue of Unity (Gujarat), Shanti Stupa (Leh), Dal Lake, and public schools and colleges.
- In Delhi, Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lt. Gen. NS Raja Subramani led a yoga session at Cariappa Parade Ground with over 3,400 participants, including Defence Attachés from 25 countries, NCC cadets, students, and families.
Armed Forces’ Yoga with Strategic Undertone: ‘Operation Sindoor’
Rajnath Singh, the Raksha Mantri (Minister of Defence), facilitated a large yoga session containing 2500 troops apart of the HQ Northern Command’s forces at Udhampur (J&K).
He added, “Yoga is about perseverance and clarity amid disorder. It is part of a soldiers mental and physical well being.”
Operation Sindoor – A Strategic Message:
Rajnath Singh connects ‘Operation Sindoor‘ to the inner balance necessary while also saying it’s the next step of India’s 2016 surgical strike and 2019 airstrike.
He communicated and demonstrated a very clear message to Pakistan about India’s preparedness against terrorism and repeated to the troops how Yoga can help with command decision making under pressure.
Nationwide Military and Civilian Participation
Yoga sessions were held across all service branches and defence institutions:
- National War Memorial, New Delhi
- Forward posts in J&K and Ladakh
- PM Shree High School, Ranchi (attended by MoS Defence Shri Sanjay Seth)
- Defence Accounts Office, New Delhi
- Army Hospital (R&R), New Delhi with 1,500+ medical personnel and a tree plantation drive inside the hospital
- All locations streamed PM Narendra Modi’s address from Visakhapatnam, where the main event was held.
Theme & Message: One Earth, One Health
The 2025 Yoga Day followed the global theme “One Earth, One Health” – advocating yoga as a way to connect personal well-being with planetary health. Raksha Mantri reiterated that yoga is:
“India’s gift to the world – beyond any border, religion, or culture.”
Read Also: “One Earth, One Health”: HUDCO Observes 11th International Yoga Day 2025 with Pan-India Sessions
Key Takeaways
- Yoga is now an essential part of India’s soft power, for diplomacy and defence readiness.
- The involvement of the young (NCC) and defence personnel in these large numbers represents a national unity on physical and psychological health.
- The ‘Operation Sindoor’ inclusion associates yoga with psychological warfare readiness and the inner strength of the Indian Armed Forces.
