The event was conducted by the Indian Embassy and organized by the Washington Monument.

More than 1,500 people from all different walks of life participated in the 5th International Yoga Day celebration in Washington, D.C. on Sunday.

Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Harsh Vardhan Shringla told news agency ANI, “We are very happy with the support and participation that we saw today. The participants participated with real zeal and enthusiasm. In Washington, there is nothing better than the iconic Washington Monument, it denotes the capital of the US. and it is a spot that represents the city and the country.”

He added that yoga has become a way of life in the United States, having reached about 36.7 million people in the country.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered an audio-video message greeting yoga participants all over the world and and explaining yoga’s role in achieving “oneness”.

The Indian Embassy in Washington provided all yoga participants with a vegetarian cuisine afterwards.

According to Shringla, “The food program is related to yoga. Vegetarian cuisine in India is very refined cuisine and not enough is known about it. Therefore, we have arranged for five different stalls representing cuisines from five different parts of India – North, South, East, West and a specialized one. This food festival also commemorates the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi.”