People from all walks of life in Assam on Friday joined the rest of the country to celebrate the fifth International Day of Yoga.

Business establishments, government offices and educational institutions organised events to observe the day in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal in the United Nations’ General Assembly to all the nations.

The state government organised a programme at Sarusajai sports complex here on Friday, attended by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and education minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya, among others. A programme was also organised at Raj Bhavan.

“Yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition and it embodies unity of mind and body, thought and action, restraint and fulfilment, harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well-being,” said governor Jagdish Mukhi.

Sonowal appealed to the people to take a pledge to fortify friendship and camaraderie among the people belonging to the Barak, Brahmaputra, hills and plains. He said yoga can play a crucial role in building a society based on high moral ground.

People in Assam witnessed Modi performing yoga with a gamosa around his neck during a mass yoga event at Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi.

The North East Zone Cultural Centre, ministry of culture, in association with Mubadara Services, a Guwahati-based event management group, celebrated the day, the theme of which was Climate Action, at Shilpgram, Six Mile here.

Experts of the Sunshine Yoga Studio and Durlav Yoga Centre demonstrated the yoga asanas. The 1st Battalion NDRF, deployed at Patgaon and which looks especially after the Northeast during disasters, celebrated the day at different team/company locations — Kailasahar and Agartala (Tripura), Aizawl in Mizoram, Khliehriat district in East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, Patgaon, Mirza, Changsari (Kamrup rural), IWT Base, Uzan Bazar Guwahati, Silchar, Jorhat, Bongaigaon and Barpeta in Assam.

S.K. Sastri, the commandant, 1st NDRF, Guwahati said in statement, “Yoga is very helpful for the rescuers who directly experience or witness life threatening danger or physical harm, exposure to gruesome death, loss of home and neighbourhood or community during or after disaster are at greatest risk for severe stress.”

At the request of the state and local administration, 50 NDRF personnel of this unit participated in the mass practice at near Sarusajai stadium in Guwahati.

The Guwahati Management Development Authority and Sashastra Seema Bal also observed the day.

The Assam Rifles organised yoga camps at Agartala, Udaipur, Radhanagar, Khowai and Teliamura of Tripura. Two hundred troops from Assam Rifles participated in yoga demonstration organised by the government.

Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh joins thousands of yoga enthusiasts at Khuman Lampak indoor stadium in Imphal. Health minister L. Jayantakumar and other ministers also participated.

• Additional reporting by Tanmoy Chakraborty in Agartala and Robert Sapam in Imphal