World looking at yoga as powerful agent of global good: Modi

Srinagar: The world is looking at yoga as a powerful agent of global good, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on International Yoga Day on Friday while stressing that it has the potential to transform the economy of Jammu and Kashmir by attracting more tourists.

Choosing the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on the picturesque banks of the Dal Lake to lead the nation in celebrating the 10th International Yoga Day, the prime minister described yoga as not just knowledge but also a science.

"When people talk about yoga, most of them think it is a spiritual journey as if it is to find Allah, Ishwar or God... Leave aside the spiritual journey which can happen any time later. For now, you can focus on personal development and yoga is part of that. If you approach it that way, I am sure you will get a lot of benefits. Personal development leads to the benefit of society, which in turn leads to the benefit of humankind," he said while addressing a gathering at the SKICC.

The prime minister's event was scheduled to be held in the open but early morning rain forced the event indoors. Unmindful of the rain, scores of students were amongst those who joined the prime minister in performing various asanas on the occasion. They also requested for him for selfies and he happily obliged. "The number of yoga followers is growing continuously. Wherever I go, there is hardly any (international) leader who does not talk to me about the benefits of yoga. In many countries, yoga is becoming a part of the daily lives of people," Modi said, citing the examples of Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, Mongolia and Germany.