Sport is possibly the only area which unites people from various walks of life, different genders, race, caste, and more. It is one field which treats everyone equally and gives them the same platform to perform. It not only builds character, but also helps improve health, wellness, and teaches crucial life skills like teamwork, dealing with failure, and adds a spirit of competitiveness to the participants. Instilling these beliefs in people from a young age is extremely crucial as children are like clay - you can mould them any way you want and sport is one of the best porters in the world.
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India is growing. We are producing more engineers, doctors, scientists, writers, etc. Being the 7th largest country and the second most populated country in the world, we are one of the most diverse countries in the world. This diversity has caused plenty of differences in opinion in the country. However, one thing that has everyone pulling in the same direction is sports.
In sports, however, despite all the success at the Olympics, we are yet to find the consistency that the likes of China, USA, Russia, and UK enjoy. Winning 3-4 medals at the Olympics does not do justice to the over 1 billion population India has as there is plenty of untapped potential in the country. Apart from cricket, India hasn’t had any sustained success in any sport.
But, statements like these could be a thing of the past as Indian sport is about to undergo a makeover with the proliferation of initiatives across the country to improve sports from the grassroots level.
‘Garv Hai’
There are plenty of initiatives where corporates are getting involved to provide young athletes with the perfect platform to fulfil their talents and go on to make India proud at the grandest stage – the Olympics. One such initiative connected with athletes from the grassroots level is #GarvHai by Adani Group. The website www.garvhai.in mentions Adani Group to be privileged to be part of this sporting journey by Shot Putter Inderjeet Singh, Boxer Shiva Thapa, Race Walker Khushbir Kaur, Boxers Mandeep Jangra and Pinki Rani, Sprinter Sanjeevani Jadhav, Shooter Malaika Goel, and Tennis player Ankita Raina.
Asia’s best shotputter, Inderjeet Singh, is part of #GarvHai initiative by Adani and that helped him break the game record at the 2015 Asian Championships in China with a throw of 20.41m.
Staying on track and field, we’ve seen Khushbir Kaur cross yet another milestone in 2014 when she became the first Indian to win a silver medal in the 20km race walk at the Asian Games. Another beneficiary of this plan is India’s youngest ever boxer at the Olympics, Shiva Thapa. The pugilist has also qualified for Rio 2016 and with having played at the top level for 4 more years since the historic London Olympics, he is sure to shine brightly. Tennis player Ankita Raina, boxers Mandeep Jangra and Pinki Rani, shooter Malaika Goel, and 19-year-old long-distance runner Sanjeevani Jadhav, too, have received a major boost thanks to #Garv Hai.
This initiative has ensured that the sacrifice made by the likes of the aforementioned athletes and more have not gone to waste. The odds against which they have fought and achieved great things have encouraged all Indians to lift their heads up and say #GarvHai.
It is not just the individual sports which have reaped the benefits. Football, too, has seen its share of backing and the Surguja Football Academy, which provides youngsters with the perfect platform to perform, has done a lot for the growth of the sport in the country. Football’s popularity in India has grown multi-fold and with the Indian Super League, there’s more emphasis given to it.
The aim of the Academy is to select the most talented youngsters and support them with the required training so that the players can make it to the competitive world of football through its systematic residential training program. India has already started to reap the benefits of it as 11 players from Surguja were selected to play for the national team while as many as 6 have played in the reputed Subroto Cup.
Inculcating sports in the students’ curriculum
Schools are where most kids pick up a sport. An ideal amalgamation of sports and studies is what every student requires and needs. Co-curricular activities are a necessity for the growth of children and the Adani Vidyamandir (AVM) in Ahmedabad, is giving the students from the economically weaker section of society the perfect mix of sports and studies. At AVM, a lot of attention is given to the physical education program, which the school authorities believe is essential to the growth of children.
There are plenty of initiatives across the country that are helping India improve her standing in the world of sports. These initiatives make us proud to be Indians and are helping build a country where people see sports as a viable career option. The gap between India and the other established sporting countries is set to be bridged with these plans that are already in place. Now, with these type of initiatives by Corporate like Adani, we can finally see India fulfil her potential and win plenty more medals at the Olympics.
