SSC
The first International Day of Yoga was celebrated on:
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Answer: Option A — 21 June 2015
Detailed Solution
The International Day of Yoga is celebrated every year on 21 June. The idea was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the United Nations General Assembly on 27 September 2014. On 11 December 2014, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution (69/131) declaring 21 June as the International Day of Yoga. The resolution was co-sponsored by a record 177 member countries, the highest number for any such UNGA resolution.
21 June was chosen because it is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, which has special significance in many cultures and in the yoga tradition.
The first International Day of Yoga was celebrated on 21 June 2015. The main event was held at Rajpath (now Kartavya Path) in New Delhi, led by Prime Minister Modi. About 35,985 people performed yoga together, setting two Guinness World Records: the largest yoga session at a single venue and the largest number of nationalities (84) participating in a single yoga event.
Each year has a theme. For example:
- 2015: "Yoga for Harmony and Peace".
- 2022: "Yoga for Humanity" (main event at Mysuru Palace).
- 2023: "Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (main event at the UN headquarters in New York, led by PM Modi, setting a record for the most nationalities).
- 2024: "Yoga for Self and Society" (main event at Srinagar).
- 2025: "Yoga for One Earth, One Health" (main event at Visakhapatnam, which set a Guinness record for the largest yoga session at a single location, with over 3 lakh participants).
Yoga is an ancient Indian practice of physical, mental and spiritual discipline. The sage Patanjali compiled the "Yoga Sutras", which describe the eight limbs of yoga (Ashtanga Yoga): yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi.
The Ministry of AYUSH, set up as a separate ministry in November 2014, promotes yoga and traditional systems of medicine. Yoga was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.
Why not the other options?
- ✗21 June 2014 is before the UN resolution was adopted.
- ✗21 June 2016 was the second International Day of Yoga.
- ✗21 March 2015 is incorrect.
Quick tip
Remember: International Day of Yoga = 21 June (summer solstice); proposed by Modi at the UNGA (27 September 2014), adopted 11 December 2014 (177 co-sponsors); first celebrated 21 June 2015 at Rajpath; yoga on UNESCO list 2016.
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Important Days & Dates — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Important Days & Dates, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers national and international days observed through the year, such as National Youth Day, World Environment Day and International Yoga Day, along with the themes announced for them and the events or people they commemorate. Questions ask for the date of a day, the day observed on a given date, or the person it honours (for example, National Sports Day on 29 August marks the birthday of Major Dhyan Chand). Revise days month by month in a calendar format. Themes change every year, so learn the current year's themes from current affairs. Practise the important days questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.