PM Modi To Join Yoga Day & Paschim Bango Divas Celebrations In Kolkata; Laser Shows, Drone Displays Planned

Published 18 June 2026 · local

PM Modi To Join Yoga Day & Paschim Bango Divas Celebrations In Kolkata; Laser Shows, Drone Displays Planned Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June

PM Modi To Join Yoga Day & Paschim Bango Divas Celebrations In Kolkata; Laser Shows, Drone Displays Planned Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June 18, 2026, 21:40 IST PM Narendra Modi to attend International Yoga Day and Paschim Bango Divas celebrations in Kolkata on June 21, with the main session at Red Road. Pre-event programmes begin June 20 Rapid Read Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (AP/File Photo) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the central International Day of Yoga session at Red Road in Kolkata on June 21, coinciding with the state’s Paschim Bango Divas celebrations, West Bengal Sports Minister Dr Indranil Khan told News18. Full-scale rehearsals for the two-day programme are already underway across the city. Pre-event public attractions begin on June 20. Laser shows themed around yoga movements and philosophy will be held at Princep Ghat and Millennium Park on the evening of June 20, with cultural carnivals running simultaneously at both venues. A drone show and yoga demonstrations performed on boats are also scheduled for that evening.

Decorative lighting installations across major city structures will go up from June 19. On June 19, the programming reaches beyond Kolkata. A campaign titled “Daud Se Dhyan", translating to “From Run to Meditation", will be held in every block across West Bengal under the “Har Block Har Saans" initiative. Members of the public, youth and government officials will take part in a 2-km community run in each block, with every run concluding in a collective meditation and yoga session. The drone show on the evening of June 20 will feature approximately 3,000 drones flying over the Hooghly, according to the state government’s event brief shared with News18. Formations will depict river imagery, the lotus and themes from yoga philosophy, with aerial tributes to five yoga gurus, imagery from the Prime Minister’s global yoga promotion campaign, and the “Yoga Puja" logo projected in the sky. The show will be visible from both Millennium Park and Prinsep Ghat. International and national delegations are expected to arrive in Kolkata after noon on June 20.

The state administration has organised a special dinner at Princep Ghat on the night of June 20 for visiting dignitaries. Dr Khan, who confirmed the arrangements in an exclusive conversation with News18, described the occasion as the first time Paschim Bango Divas and International Yoga Day would be celebrated together on this scale in West Bengal. “We are honoured that the Prime Minister will be here for both Paschim Bango Divas and Yoga Divas. This represents our culture and our tradition, and this is the first time that this will be celebrated here on this scale," Dr Khan said. “On June 20, there will be a special drone show, cultural programs, and unique yoga demonstrations performed on boats. On June 21, the Prime Minister will join the main session at Red Road, Kolkata." The administrative machinery and local departments have begun coordinated preparatory sessions to manage the logistics of the two-day programme, which involves domestic and international participants. The main yoga session at Red Road on June 21 is the centrepiece of both celebrations.