Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and Isha Foundation's Sadhguru graced the occasion
Isha Gramotsavam, a social initiative by Sadhguru aimed at bringing the spirit of sports and playfulness into the lives of rural people, is all set for a spectacular finale in front of the iconic 112-feet Adiyogi, Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore on Saturday.
Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and spiritual leader and founder, Isha Foundation, Sadhguru graced the occasion. They were treated to a demonstration of the country's growing rural sporting prowess.
The finals of the four major sports competitions - Men's Volleyball Tournament, Women's Throwball Tournaments, and the Kabbadi Tournament for both men and women - were staged in the presence of Sadhguru and the Union minister.
Teams selected from the divisional level matches, from the five states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry competed in the finals.
The 15th edition of Isha Gramotsavam saw the participation of over 60,000 players, with over 10,000 rural women, mostly householders, participating in events like Kabaddi and Throwball, Isha Gramotsavam stands as a testament to a silent revolution, empowering rural women in Bharat.
Sadhguru talked about Isha Gramotsavam and how it brings people from different communities together.
"It's a fantastic sense of energy and enthusiasm all across five states, with over 61,000 participants or players playing. Today, as you see here, 20,000 to 25,000 players have gathered for this event. This is not about competitive sport, it is about bringing a sense of playfulness and a sense of sport to the village. The most important thing is this whole thing started when I found out different communities that were not willing to sit with each other. So we started the games. Nowhere does it say that they should not play together and today, it has taken out the element of discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, and religion and levelled it all up. When it comes to sport, whoever plays well is the important person," Sadhguru told ANI.
"This needs to happen across the country, But, for now, we are covering five states. The central government has introduced the 'Khelo India Games' and the 'Fit India' movement and such initiatives are going a long way in promoting sports at various levels. What is important is that the culture, sport, music, and dance forms of the local region are part of the event. This is what Gramotsavam is about," Sadhguru added.
On the essence of sports in the life of a person, he said, "If you are not pursuing a sport then what is the point of this life? It is very important that we understand playfulness is a very important part of being alive. If there is no playfulness in you, you may have wealth, you may have all kinds of arrangements going but there will be no celebrations. Celebrations will happen only if you are playful. That is only possible when you are playful. So our effort is to bring an element of celebration into rural living."
Thousands from across Tamil Nadu came to visit Isha to watch the matches. Apart from the main sports competitions, various traditional games such as vazhuku maram, Gopal Kala, tug-of-war, sports competitions for children, and rangoli competitions were also organised.
The event also saw featured Karakattam, Oyilattam, and Poikkaal Kuthirai Aattam performances. A rural food fest was also held.
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