On World Health Day, a giant event took place at Araku Valley Degree College in Alluri Sitharama Raju district. Around 20,000 tribal students, including more than 13,000 girls, came together to perform 108 Surya Namaskars (sun salutations) as part of the 'Yoga – Maha Surya Vandanam' programme.

This effort created a new Guinness World Record. The yoga session lasted for about two hours and was officially recognised by Alice Renaud, manager of the London World Records Union. She presented the certificate to District Collector Dinesh Kumar. Speaking to ANI, Alice Renaud said, "I'm a World Record Union Manager, and I was here tonight to witness the performance as 20,000 students performed sun salutations. This is a new world record that has been established tonight. I want to congratulate them."

The event was started with a traditional conch sound by Physical Education Teacher (PET) Patanjali Srinivas. Tribal Welfare Minister Gummadi Sandhya Rani also joined the students in doing the Surya Namaskars, inspiring everyone by leading from the front.

Five months of dedication and hard work

These students had been preparing for this big day for five months. Every morning, they woke up at 4 a.m. to practise yoga. Most of them came from five mandals in the district. Health workers were also present during the event to keep a close watch and ensure everyone stayed safe.

District Collector Dinesh Kumar praised the students and teachers for their amazing effort. He said regular yoga practice had improved the students' health, learning, and overall performance. He added that many students who earlier needed to visit hospitals regularly had become much healthier after doing yoga daily.

He also thanked all those who worked behind the scenes – especially Patanjali Srinivas, the PETs, teachers, and tribal welfare officers – for making the event such a success.

Many important officials attended the programme, including Joint Collector Dr Abhishek Gowda, SP Amit Bardar, Sub-Collector Sauryaman Patel, Additional SP Dheeraj, and RTC Chairman Donnu Dora. The large crowd and energetic vibe made this world-record event not just memorable, but also a big step toward promoting health and fitness through yoga.

 

You might also be interested in: 45% of MLAs in India face criminal cases, Andhra Pradesh tops the list: Study