Kolkata to host PM Modi for International Yoga Day event
Kolkata is set to host the main International Day of Yoga 2026 celebrations, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to attend on June 21. The event will spotlight yoga for healthy ageing as the government begins a 25-day countdown and expands public participation tools.
Kolkata is set to host the main celebrations for the International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2026, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to participate in the event on June 21.
Announcing the theme for this year’s Yoga Day, “Yoga for Healthy Ageing”, Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav said the focus would be on highlighting yoga’s role in promoting physical health, mental well-being and healthy ageing.
The announcement was made during Yoga Mahotsav 2026, organised at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Western Group of Temples in Khajuraho, marking the beginning of the 25-day countdown to IDY 2026.
On the occasion, the Union Minister relaunched the Yoga Sangam Portal to facilitate online registrations and encourage greater public participation in the celebrations. He also launched the Yoga Park Portal, aimed at supporting the creation of dedicated yoga spaces across states and institutions.
PM Modi had first proposed the idea of an International Day of Yoga during his address at the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, 2014.
Subsequently, on December 11 that year, the United Nations officially declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga with support from 193 member states and 173 co-sponsors.
The first International Yoga Day was held at Rajpath in New Delhi on June 21, 2015, led by PM Modi, and entered the Guinness World Records for mass yoga participation.
Over the years, several cities, including Chandigarh, Lucknow, Ranchi, Dehradun and Mysuru, have hosted the main national celebrations of the global event.