PM Modi in Bengaluru: Yoga is now a global gateway to understanding India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (November 13) lauded Yoga's growing global acceptance following India's initiatives and highlighted the country's efforts to promote traditional systems of medicine, including Ayurveda.

Addressing the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Prashanti Kutiram, the yoga and research centre in Bengaluru run by the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA), Modi praised the institution’s 50-year evolution into a major movement for healthcare, education, and research.

To mark the occasion, he digitally laid the foundation stone for the Golden Jubilee Administrative Block and launched the S-VYASA Off-Campus in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

“Yoga has become a gateway for people across the world to understand India,” he said.

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Global embrace of yoga

Highlighting India's cultural outreach over the past 12 years, Modi noted that yoga has reached international schools and workplaces, with several nations adopting it as a competitive sport.

Saudi Arabia has formally recognised yoga as a sporting activity and signed an agreement with India’s Ministry of AYUSH, while India has integrated it into Khelo India and the National Games.

Recalling interactions with foreign dignitaries, Modi remarked, "Whichever country I go to, people discuss yoga with me over lunch and dinner." He noted that several leaders shared that their family members — including members of Qatar’s royal family — practise it daily, and some foreign practitioners have received the Padma Shri.

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Traditional medicine and wellness

Modi emphasised that holistic healthcare has become a global movement, with over 150 Ayurveda training courses recognised abroad and memoranda of understanding signed with 28 countries.

Establishing a dedicated Ministry of AYUSH, launching the e-AYUSH Visa for medical tourists, and hosting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar have spurred research and exports. The AYUSH and herbal sector has grown into an economy worth several lakh crore rupees, aided by the National Turmeric Board to boost international demand, Modi said.

Urging the integration of ancient wisdom with modern science, Modi described yoga as a zero-cost healthcare solution against illness and material excess. Citing a World Bank report stating that nearly 50 crore Indians escaped extreme poverty over the last 12 to 13 years, he said, "Our endeavour is to make a healthy lifestyle a priority for every family, and yoga can play a very significant role in achieving this."

Modi concluded by honouring Karnataka’s yoga heritage, Kannada cinema legend Dr Rajkumar, spiritual figures like Swami Vivekananda, and former RSS general secretary HV Seshadri on his birth centenary, praising his lifelong mission of nation-building through individual discipline.

(with agency inputs)