Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi took Indian culture and traditions to the global stage with the help of International Yoga Day, celebrated across the world on June 21.

Notably, PM Modi will be leading the Yoga Day celebrations at the lawns of the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday.

Addressing a gathering here, Shah said PM Modi turned the practice of Yoga into a public movement which has benefited many people.

Modi has become the first head of a country who will be leading the Yoga Day celebrations at the UN, he said.

“Through Yoga Day, PM Modi took Indian culture and traditions to the entire world. The entire world has embraced Yoga and it is celebrated in 170 countries on June 21,” said Shah after inaugurating a public garden near Shilaj area of the city.

Shilaj falls under Shah’s Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency.

“Our ancient research proved that we will not need medicines if we perform Yoga regularly. Narendrabhai turned this ancient knowledge into a public movement and inspired people to embrace this lifestyle. This practice has changed the lives of many people,” he added.

Before that, Shah inaugurated a railway overbridge in Jagatpur area of the city and another public garden at New Ranip.

On the occasion, he urged the invited guests, including builders associated with CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India), to plant more trees and take the activity as a movement. He asked the builders to plant at least 25 trees in each of the schemes they have developed so far in the state.

Early on Tuesday, Shah visited the 400-year-old Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur area on the occasion of Rath Yatra and performed ‘mangla aarti’ (auspicious ritual to pay obeisance to the deity).

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.