VISAKHAPATNAM: In a historic achievement, around 25,000 tribal students from Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district performed 108 Surya Namaskars in 108 minutes at the Andhra University Engineering College grounds in Visakhapatnam on Friday.
Organised as part of the Yogandhra celebrations ahead of International Yoga Day on June 21, the event was monitored by trained yoga instructors and government officials and aimed at setting a Guinness World Record.
Out of 26,395 students registered from 106 schools in the Paderu division, 25,000 took part in the record-breaking mass performance.
Addressing the gathering, IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh hailed the event as a proud moment for India and announced that the State is preparing for another record on June 21, with over five lakh people expected to participate in yoga celebrations along the Visakhapatnam coast.
He dedicated the achievement to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, noting it was his second visit to the State this year.
Lokesh said yoga reflects a disciplined lifestyle beyond physical postures.
Recalling his youth, he credited Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu with instilling in him values of discipline and perseverance.
Urging students to dream big and serve society, he announced that weekly yoga sessions will be introduced in all government schools starting June 21.
He praised ASR Collector Dinesh Kumar and trainers for their year-long preparation. Union AYUSH Minister Prataprao Jadhav lauded the students for making the nation proud.
The event was attended by Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav, AYUSH Secretary Rajesh Kotecha, Chief Secretary K Vijayanand, Tribal Welfare Minister Gummadi Sandhya Rani, and other dignitaries.