Kolkata, June 21 (IANS): Thousands participated in mass yoga celebrations across West Bengal to mark International Yoga Day on Sunday.

Union ministers Harsh Vardhan and Ravi Shankar Prasad led the demonstrations to mark the maiden Yoga Day in this non-BJP ruled state.

Prasad, the communications and IT minister, launched the celebrations at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) complex in Kolkata's suburban Salt Lake in sync with the main event at Rajpath in New Delhi while Vardhan, the science & technology, earth sciences minister, headlined the event at Kharagpur.

Union Minister of State for Urban Development Babul Supriyo performed yoga asanas in Asansol with residents and party members.

Yoga mats were rolled out across various educational establishments with the young and the old, suitably attired in tracksuits, joining in with pride.

Faculty and students at the Indian Institute of Technology - Kharagpur performed yoga at the institute's gymkhana.

At the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, a yoga demonstration was conducted by World Yoga Society early morning where school-goers, parents and staffers participated.

The District Science Centre in Purulia and the Digha Science Centre and National Science Camp under the National Council of Science Museums conducted live yoga performances and talks by gurus.

A lot of flexing was seen on the corporate front with the Confederation of Indian Industry yoga session at the Suresh Neotia Centre of Excellence for Leadership at Salt Lake.

A number of representatives of Indian industry, including CEOs and senior executives, were present during a two-hour programme.

In north Bengal's Siliguri, Coochbehar and Hooghly, men and women eagerly joined in the mass observance of yoga.

Members of local recreation clubs, residents of housing societies and morning walkers had an energetic start to the day with their own yoga sessions. Parks across the eastern metropolis were dotted with peoples doing yoga exercises.