Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead this year’s International Day of Yoga (IDY) celebrations from Kolkata’s historic Red Road on June 21, as the Centre seeks to expand the event’s global footprint through around 2,450 programmes planned across 211 Indian missions abroad.At a curtain-raiser press conference here on Monday, the Ministry of Ayush outlined its plans for the annual observance, which will be held under the theme ‘Yoga for Healthy Ageing’ (Swasth Aayu Ke Liye Yog).Union Ayush Minister Prataprao Jadhav said yoga had evolved into a global movement since the United Nations General Assembly adopted India’s proposal for an International Day of Yoga in 2014.”Today, crores of people have made yoga a part of their lifestyle. Yoga has become a global people’s movement,” Jadhav said.The minister said this year’s theme seeks to highlight yoga’s role in enabling healthy, active and mentally resilient lives as people age.Why KolkataOn the choice of Kolkata as the venue for the main national event, particularly given the political change in West Bengal, Jadhav linked the decision to the historical role played by West Bengal in taking India’s spiritual traditions to the world.”The message of India’s spiritual heritage reached Western countries through Swami Vivekananda from the land of West Bengal. The journey from West Bengal to the Western world began from there, and keeping that historical significance in mind, the Prime Minister chose Kolkata for this year’s main celebration,” he said.The main event will be held on Kolkata’s Red Road, where Modi is expected to lead participants in the Common Yoga Protocol, a standardised 45-minute yoga session developed by experts. Officials said yoga demonstrations would also be held simultaneously on 500 boats in the Hooghly river.Global outreachThe Ministry of Ayush said this year’s celebrations would have one of the widest international footprints since Yoga Day was first observed in 2015.According to officials, programmes are planned at 2,453 locations through 211 Indian missions abroad in partnership with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the Ministry of External Affairs and yoga organisations.Major events are expected in cities including New York, Geneva, Paris, Bern, Nairobi, Madrid and Colombo.Asked about yoga’s international growth since 2014, Jadhav said the observance is now marked in more than 190 countries.”Not only on June 21, but throughout the year, institutions and individuals across the world practise yoga. It is increasingly becoming a global people’s movement,” he said.The ministry has also translated the Common Yoga Protocol into six United Nations languages to widen participation and has begun training foreign students studying in India under ICCR scholarships so they can act as yoga ambassadors in their home countries.White paper for global missionsDuring the interaction, officials also revealed details of a new policy document aimed at standardising Yoga Day celebrations globally.Responding to a question from The Tribune regarding the white paper titled ‘Scaling Yoga Globally and Policy Framework for Future Engagement’, ministry officials said the document was prepared after repeated requests from Indian missions abroad seeking guidance on the conduct of Yoga Day activities.Officials said that while the common yoga protocol itself is already standardised, missions frequently sought clarity on how precursor activities should be organised, how the main celebrations conducted and what formats could be adopted for local events.”We decided to prepare a white paper and circulate it among the missions so that there is clarity on how we want International Day of Yoga to be celebrated globally,” an official said.The document is expected to serve as a reference framework for missions and partner organisations involved in Yoga Day events worldwide.Guinness record and build-up eventsAhead of the main event, the ministry announced that a Guinness World Record had been set on June 14 through a live online yoga session organised as part of the Yoga 365 campaign.According to officials, 4,35,831 participants joined the livestream, creating a record for the highest number of viewers of a yoga live stream on YouTube.The announcement came as the ministry highlighted a series of countdown events organised across the country in recent months.A 100-day countdown event was held in New Delhi on March 13, where the ministry launched several initiatives, including a five-minute yoga protocol for air travellers designed to reduce travel fatigue, yoga modules targeting 10 non-communicable diseases, a Yoga 365 campaign and a 100-day free online yoga programme.Subsequent countdown events were organised at Maharashtra’s Lonar Lake, where participants created a record for performing Trikonasana together; at Kanha Shanti Vanam in Hyderabad, where more than 6,000 people performed Bhujangasana simultaneously; and at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.Gangotri to Ganga Sagar campaignThe ministry is also conducting an eight-day outreach programme titled ‘Gangotri to Ganga Sagar’ from June 13 to 20.The campaign covers locations along the Ganga, including Gangotri, Haridwar, Varanasi, Patna, Hooghly and Ganga Sagar, and aims to link yoga with environmental awareness, river culture and public participation.Officials said that in West Bengal, a ‘Daud Se Dhyan’ programme would be organised on June 19, encouraging people to walk or run before participating in meditation sessions.A day later, programmes linked to West Bengal Day and ‘Vande Yogam’ will combine yoga demonstrations with cultural activities. Authorities are also planning yoga carnivals, cultural performances, drone shows and floating light displays in Kolkata ahead of the main event.Nationwide celebrationsBeyond Kolkata, Yoga Day events are planned across the country.The Ministry of Culture will organise programmes at 100 iconic locations, while Delhi is expected to host events at 38 venues, including Kartavya Path. Officials said around 30,000 participants are expected to take part in celebrations across the national capital.The ministry is also relying heavily on digital outreach, including poster competitions, quiz contests, reel-making competitions and social media campaigns aimed at increasing public participation, especially among younger audiences.As preparations enter their final phase, the government is positioning this year’s observance not merely as a one-day event but as part of a broader effort to integrate yoga into daily life, with officials repeatedly emphasising the ‘Yoga 365’ concept throughout the briefing.