Over 2 billion will celebrate yoga day, Ban tells Sushma

June 21, 2015 07:51

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his excitement at the first International Day of Yoga during his meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, saying the day has garnered "unprecedented" enthusiasm from people around the world.

Ban called on Swaraj in the evening yesterday at the Manhattan hotel where the Indian leader is staying. He warmly greeted her with a "Namaste, kya haal chaal hain" as he shook her hands.

Ban, accompanied by senior UN officials, congratulated Swaraj on the commemoration of the first International Day of Yoga. "I am also very much excited," he said.

The UN chief told her that the world body had been observing many international days on various themes but the excitement and enthusiasm for the yoga day is unprecedented. "(There is) a lot of enthusiasm. We have been observing many international days on something but this one (yoga day) is unprecedented, most exciting," he said.

Ban said he had been told that nearly two billion people would have participated in the yoga day across the world by the end of June 21.

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