“You will be nearer to heaven through football than through the study of Gita”.
The above line was taken from the book “Lectures from Colombo to Almora” by one of the most famous and renowned spiritual leader of our time Shri Vivekananda which clearly highlights the significance of sports in one’s physical, mental, social and emotional well being. Sport is a medium which not only enhances our physical strength and self-pride but also brings a sense of togetherness and team effort. It’s through sports through which brings the nations closer and thus global harmony prevails.
India has always been a torchbearer for various games and sports since ancient times. Sports like Kabaddi, Kushti, Mallayuddha, Mallakhambh, Kalaripayattu, archery etc were incepted in India and their legacies outreached far beyond imaginations. But, this golden legacy of sports and athleticism was either lost or was jeopardized during brutal colonial periods.
Great poet P.B. Shelley in his poem ‘An ode to the west winds’, quoted “if winter comes, can spring be far behind?!” thus, India too saw the silver lining in sporting culture after independence through various means and inter-collegiate sports fests were one of them. These inter-collegiate sports fests have generated many world-class sportsperson and champions.
One such inter-collegiate sports fest which got the repute of being India’s largest and one of the most awaited sports fest is “Spardha” conducted by IIT (BHU), Varanasi. This mega sports carnival has successfully completed more than 3 decades of enthralling and spellbinding sporting events. Spardha hosts more than a thousand participants each year in an array of sports like Hockey, Basketball, Cricket, Football, Boxing, Squash, Badminton, weightlifting, chess, carrom, and whatnot. Every year national and International famed sports champions which include Arjuna Awardees and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardees are invited as chief guests to motivate these young sports persons.
The preparation of this extravagant event begins many months in advance as students pull up their socks and leave no stone unturned to make it flawless. With the Institution’s support and sponsorships from top-notch corporate entities & vast alumni network, this event can be termed as ‘World-class’. As the days approach near, one can find teams from different parts of India wearing colourful jerseys on the field practising their respective sports. All the grounds are prepared and maintained very precisely by the experts. Groundsmen and staffs work round the clock to ensure all the needs of the participants are met in no time. The roads which lead to these grounds are beautifully lit and decorated with Graffitis, Banners and artworks. And, then comes the 3-days action-packed, adrenaline rushing “Spardha”, where more than 1000 zealous athletes shed their sweat and blood to open the door to the glory. The champions are felicitated with trophies, cash prize and national recognition through leading media and social network channels.
If the Olympics is not in your reach, you may come and watch this miniature version of Olympics and I bet, you won’t regret!
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