Kolkata, June 21 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday used two major public engagements in Kolkata to underline what he described as the twin pillars of India's future progress - a healthy population and a strong maritime force - calling for greater adoption of yoga and continued expansion of indigenous defence capabilities.
Addressing thousands at the 12th International Day of Yoga celebrations at Red Road in Kolkata, Modi urged people to make yoga an integral part of their daily lives, saying it offers a pathway to physical fitness, mental well-being and a balanced lifestyle. Referring to this year's theme, "Yoga for Healthy Ageing," he said yoga helps people remain active, energetic and resilient as they grow older while reducing the impact of lifestyle-related ailments.
The Prime Minister said yoga goes beyond physical exercise and plays an important role in strengthening mental health, promoting self-awareness and fostering social harmony. Highlighting its global appeal, he noted that June 21 has evolved into one of the world's largest community celebrations because of yoga's ability to bring people together across cultures and national boundaries.
Later in the day, Modi commissioned three indigenously built naval platforms - stealth frigate Dunagiri, survey vessel Sanshodhak and anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft Agray - at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port.
Calling maritime strength a decisive factor in determining a nation's economic and strategic influence, the Prime Minister said India is steadily enhancing its naval capabilities while pursuing self-reliance in defence manufacturing. He stressed that the country does not want to remain dependent on foreign suppliers and is focused on building advanced military platforms domestically.
Modi pointed to the commissioning of aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and said more than 40 warships and submarines had joined the Indian Navy in recent years, while another 45 major naval platforms are under construction. Designed by the Navy's Warship Design Bureau and built by Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd, the three vessels commissioned on Sunday have indigenous content exceeding 75 per cent.
Officials said more than 200 micro, small and medium enterprises contributed to the projects, underscoring the growing role of domestic industry in strengthening India's defence sector.
Governor R N Ravi, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan were present at the commissioning ceremony.
Meanwhile, Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who welcomed the Prime Minister, said the national celebration had generated unprecedented enthusiasm across West Bengal, with yoga programmes being organised from Darjeeling to Digha and from Cooch Behar to Kolkata.
Adhikari said nearly 2.57 lakh people had registered for Yoga Day celebrations across the state. He also highlighted Bengal's spiritual legacy and recalled the contributions of Swami Vivekananda and other thinkers who emphasised the importance of yoga in developing the mind, body and character.
The celebrations extended across several institutions. Kolkata Police personnel participated in a yoga session at Princep Memorial Ground, while judges of the Calcutta High Court observed the day at the Judges' Lounge in the Sesquicentenary Building. At the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, commissioner of police Tripurari Atharv, joint commissioner of police (HQ) Badana Varun Chandra Sekhar and ACP (HQ) Samrat Roy joined officers and personnel in yoga sessions.
More than 65,000 NCC cadets participated in Yoga Day programmes at 215 locations across West Bengal and Sikkim. The flagship event at the NCC Training Institute in Kolkata was attended by tennis legend Leander Paes. Metro Railway, Eastern Railway, the Eastern Command and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport also organised special yoga sessions.
Meanwhile, on reaching New Delhi from Kolkata after participating in the International Yoga Day event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delayed his departure from the airport by 45 minutes to avoid inconvenience to NEET candidates. The Prime Minister, after landing at 1.15 pm in Delhi, waited until 2 pm to avoid the inconvenience.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.