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The prestigious Dam Square Amsterdam was witness to the largest ever yoga celebrations in the Netherlands on Sunday, June 16. A great multitude gathered in front of the Royal Palace on Dam Square in the heart of the capital city of the Netherlands to mark International Yoga Day. The event was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Mr. Jai Ram Thakur. Himachal Industries Minister Bikram Singh, Ambassador Venu Rajamony, International Cricket Star Suresh Raina, Dutch actor, model and photographer Ms. Micky Hoogendijk; Mr. V.K. Arora, Chairman and Managing Director of LT Foods and Dr. Deepak Mittal, Chairman, International Tractors Ltd. took part in the opening ceremony. Representatives of the Royal Dutch army also joined the celebrations for the first time. They participated in the group common yoga protocol session and also led the public in a special yoga workshop A unique addition to the program this year was also the promotion of Indian handicrafts through a ‘Made in India’ display featuring live demonstrations by five national award winning master artisans from India throughout the day. Yoga sessions were interspersed with cultural programs of Indian dance and music for the rest of the day . A stall put up by the Maharishi Ayurveda Centre provided advice on yoga, wellness and healthy living while five special food trucks provided vegetarian and vegan food as well as vegan ice cream for the participants and onlookers. The grand finale was a performance titled “Soul Shanti Concert,” featuring “BMI Goes India” – a unique combination of classical sitar and modern electronic dance music, popular Bollywood DJ Don supported by local musicians from Team Madras Chorus.