'Raj-rishi' PM Modi has set example by doing yoga at Rajpath: Ramdev

21st century's mantra is going to be prosperity with spirituality, prosperity with peace and the basis for that is going to be yoga, he added

Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev on Sunday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set an example by doing yoga at the Rajpath, adding that the discipline is an offering by India to the world.

"Yoga is India's offering to the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today showed that he is a 'raj-rishi' along with a politician and set an example by doing yoga. If the west has given science to the world then India has given yoga and spiritual knowledge to the world. 21st century's mantra is going to be prosperity with spirituality, prosperity with peace and the basis for that is going to be yoga," he said.

Commenting on the issue of Chinese mats being used for the International Yoga Day celebrations, Ramdev said, "We hope that the organisers keep that in mind and use Indian made mats in future...Yoga will become a huge industry in the days to come. There is going to be yoga dress, yoga food, yoga mat and other such things, all these things will be made in India instead of China."

Prime Minister Modi has dubbed the International Yoga Day as the beginning of a new era of peace and goodwill, thanking all those who have contributed to the development of the great discipline.

Dressed in all-white and a tricolour scarf, Prime Minister Modi performed a variety of poses, including the Vajrasan and Padmasan, at the Rajpath where an estimated 40,000 people participated in the celebrations. Nearly 2,000 digital cinema screens were set up across Rajpath for the people to witness the live streaming of the performance of yoga asanas.

Similar yoga events took place simultaneously across India, with Chief Ministers like Vasundhara Raje, Chandrababu Naidu and Raghubar Das joining in.

The yoga celebrations are being organised after the United Nations had in December last year declared June 21 as International Yoga Day.

The idea of celebrating the International Yoga Day was pitched by Prime Minister Modi at the United Nations General Assembly last year.