Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh led the Armed Forces in celebrating the 11th International Day of Yoga (IDY) by performing various asanas and breathing exercises with approximately 2,500 soldiers at Northern Command, Udhampur, Jammu & Kashmir on June 21, 2025. In his address, he credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for popularising Yoga globally and highlighted that the practice provides a holistic approach to health & well-being. He termed Yoga as a universal solution to the problems faced by people in today’s fast-paced world such as stress, anxiety and depression.
“Yoga gives clarity to the people in chaos. It is an art, a science, a philosophy, and spirituality. Those who practice Yoga in their daily lives have control over their body and mind. It makes us proactive, not reactive,” Raksha Mantri said.
Describing Operation Sindoor as a shining example of that control, Rajnath Singh stated that Indian Armed Forces displayed restraint, balance and precision during the operation, which is a reflection of their inner strength attained by practising Yoga. He stated that India’s social & communal unity was targeted through the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor was a clear message to Pakistan that it will face the consequences for supporting terror activities against India.
“Operation Sindoor is the natural progression of the surgical strike of 2016 and the air strike of 2019. It was executed in such a way that Pakistan requested for a ceasefire, and only then have we put a pause to the operation. As I have said earlier, Operation Sindoor is not over yet. India is fully prepared to take all kinds of action against terrorism,” said Raksha Mantri.
Rajnath Singh asserted that Pakistan wants to weaken India from within, but it should never forget that just like Major Somnath Sharma, Brigadier Usman too sacrificed his life for the unity and integrity of the country. He added that when the nation is celebrating International Day of Yoga, it should remember the true meaning of the practice, which is to connect every section of society with the culture and soul of India. “If even one section is left behind, the wheel of unity and security is broken. Therefore, today, we should perform yoga at the level of society & thought and not just body,” he said.
