�Visakhapatnam:�The massive yoga session at Andhra University Engineering College Grounds in Visakhapatnam on Friday involving over 22,000 tribal students successfully set a new Guinness World Record.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced the achievement on Saturday on occasion of the 11th International Yoga Day. He congratulated the tribal students for simultaneously performing 108 Surya Namaskars in 108 minutes at a single location.
“International Yoga Day has been a grand success. We have created history. It is a super hit,” the CM declared.
The students who created the record hailed from various tribal welfare and ashram schools across Paderu, Anantagiri, Pedabayalu, Chintapalli, Araku, G. Madugula, and Hukumpeta. While some students had undergone rigorous training for three to four months, others had only a few weeks to prepare under the guidance of senior yoga instructor Pathanjali Srinivasa Rao.
The massive session on the eve of IYD began with “Omkaram.”’ It proceeded through the complete sequence of 108 Surya Namaskars within the designated 108-minute timeframe.
K. Annaya from Pedabayalu mandal shared his experience saying, “We are honoured and proud of our achievement. We practiced daily every morning at 4:30 and in the evening from 4.”
Reddy Pornama, a 10th-grade student from a government welfare school, described their journey, “For the first time, we came to Vizag. They asked us to wake up at 2 a.m. on Thursday and the bus started at 4 a.m. Many vomited in the bus. But now, all efforts have paid off.”
Significantly, 200 foreign students from Andhra University joined the celebrations. Dean of International Affairs Dhanunjay told this correspondent that the students are from over 50 countries, representing Pan Africa, the Middle East, SAARC and Southeast Asian regions.
Yoga department head K. Ramesh Babu pointed out that all the participants gave their full to achieve the record.
G. Navya, a polytechnic student, shared, “I have noticed that my mind has become calmer. My interest in studying has increased. I feel very excited while doing yoga.”
