Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for observing an International Yoga Day, describing the ancient science as "India's gift to the world."
Modi's unexpected reference to yoga during in his UN General Assembly speech came when he was talking about climate change and going back to basics. Yoga is not just about fitness or exercise, it is about changing one's lifestyle, Modi said, plugging for ancient practice that was introduced to the west by Modi's spiritual inspiration, Swami Vivekananda.
Some organizations have been celebrating World Yoga Day since 2007 (the next one is on February 22, 2015), but it has no official sanction.
Yoga is enjoying, rising popularity in the United States and has now become a multi-billion dollar business, but its link to India is often understated. Modi's public reference on the world stage to India's gift is possible meant to remind international audience of this link.
