UNITED NATIONS (AP) 鈥 Praising yoga as 鈥渁 way of life," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed poses ranging from cobra to corpse alongside a multinational crowd Wednesday at the U.N. headquarters as he kicked off the public portion of his U.S. visit.
With a checkerboard of made-in-India yoga mats covering the U.N.'s spacious north lawn, Modi stopped and bowed at a statue of the assassinated Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi before saying in brief remarks that yoga was an all-ages, portable practice accessible to all faiths and cultures.
鈥淚t is a very old tradition, but like all ancient Indian traditions, it is also living and dynamic,鈥 Modi said. 鈥淵oga is truly universal."
While yoga is a means to physical fitness, mental calm and emotional contentment, 鈥渋t is not just about doing exercise on a mat. Yoga is a way of life,鈥 said the year-old leader of the world's most populous nation.
For Modi, who arrived Tuesday in New York on a trip that will offer plenty of time to discuss global tensions, highlighting an ancient pursuit of inner tranquility was a savvy and symbolic choice. He has made yoga .
Taking his spot on a mat amid the throng of a thousand or more, the 72-year-old Modi participated over the next 35 minutes in breathing exercises, meditation, backbends and other poses 鈥 from palm tree to diamond, hare to half-camel, crocodile to stretched-up frog.
The event honored the International Day of Yoga, which Modi in 2014 as an annual observance. This year's version set a Guinness World Record, announced on-scene, for most nationalities 鈥 135 鈥 at a yoga lesson. It drew actor Richard Gere, singer-actor Mary Millben, New York Mayor Eric Adams, U.N. General Assembly President Csaba K艖r枚si and Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, among other dignitaries. Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres, who is at a conference in Paris, sent in a video greeting.
The shouts of demonstrators across the street could be heard during the meditative utterances of 鈥淥m.鈥 About 200 Modi supporters and 50 critics rallied, kept apart by barriers and closely watched by New York police.
The pro-Modi group cried out greetings to him and held signs with such messages as 鈥淎merica Welcomes Narendra Modi鈥 and 鈥淯nited We Stand,鈥 accompanied by a photo of the U.S. flag. Opponents yelled, 鈥淢odi, go back!鈥 and waved large yellow flags referring to Khalistan, the name of the homeland that Sikh separatists seek to create in India.
First practiced by Hindu sages, yoga has become one of India鈥檚 most popular cultural exports. Modi has as a feel-good way of stretching the country鈥檚 influence abroad.
Modi, a Hindu nationalist, presents himself as an ascetic who adheres to his religion鈥檚 strictures on vegetarianism and yoga. He has posted social media videos over the years of himself practicing yoga poses and provided live visuals of him meditating in a Himalayan mountain cave after national elections in 2019.
Modi last visited the U.N. during the 2021 General Assembly, where he said that 鈥渁ll kinds of questions have been raised" about the world body's effectiveness on matters including climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and terrorism.
He also made a point of staking out his country's place on the global stage, noting that 鈥渆very sixth person in the world is Indian.鈥 Since then, India to claim the world's largest population, at 1.425 billion, and it is the world's biggest democracy.
India has long sought a permanent seat on the Security Council, the U.N.'s most powerful group. India has been elected to a two-year seat several times, most recently for 2021-22.
The prime minister flew to Washington later Wednesday afternoon and joined first lady Jill Biden for a visit to the 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Science Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia. President Joe Biden also hosted Modi at the White House for dinner, including pasta and ice cream, and a musical tribute to the regions of India performed by youth dancers from the Washington, D.C.-area Studio Dhoom.
鈥淲ith this official visit, we are bringing together the world鈥檚 oldest and world鈥檚 largest democracies. But our relationship isn鈥檛 just about governance," Jill Biden said at the 香港六合彩挂牌资料 Science Foundation. "We鈥檙e celebrating the families and friendships that span the globe.鈥
At the White House, the Bidens presented Modi, a hobby photographer, with a handmade, antique American book galley from the early 20th century as the official gift to mark the visit. The president also presented Modi with a vintage American camera, accompanied by an archival facsimile print of George Eastman鈥檚 patent of the first Kodak camera, and a hardcover book of American wildlife photography. The first lady gave Modi a signed, first edition copy of 鈥淐ollected Poems of Robert Frost.鈥
Modi spoke about the emphasis India has placed on education, integrating learning and training. 鈥淥ur goal is to make this decade a 鈥榯ech decade鈥 or 鈥榯ech-ade,鈥欌 the prime minister said, speaking in Hindi.
Modi will hold formal talks with Biden in the on Thursday, take question from reporters, address a joint meeting of Congress and be honored with a White House state dinner. A State Department luncheon will be hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris, whose mother was born in India, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The U.S. has been looking to India as a key partner on matters that include checking China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. India wants to bolster military and trade connections with the United States.
Human rights advocates want Biden to press Modi on human rights issues, both international and within India. Modi has faced criticism over for some migrants but excludes Muslims; a rise in by Hindu nationalists; and the recent conviction of India鈥檚 top opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, for . (Gandhi himself, speaking to journalists, university students and an Indian diaspora group.)
A group of more than 70 lawmakers wrote Biden this week calling on him to raise concerns about the erosion of religious, press and political freedoms when he meets with Modi. Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar on Minnesota have said they will boycott Modi鈥檚 address to Congress.
The Indian government defends its record and insists that the nation's democratic principles remain rock-solid.
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Associated Press journalists Edith M. Lederer and Ted Shaffrey at the United Nations, Krutika Pathi in New Delhi and Darlene Superville, Chris Megerian, Fatima Hussein and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.
