E-Paper
Old, young, and kids put their best foot forward as Rural Olympics set off at Ludhiana
The Rural Olympics, to be held from February 12-14, were inaugurated by the MLA Jeevan Singh Sangowal and Ludhiana deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney.
One of the most-awaited sporting events of the state, the Kila Raipur Rural Olympics, started in Ludhiana on Monday. The games, to be held from February 12-14, were inaugurated by the MLA Jeevan Singh Sangowal and deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney.
The first day of the games saw the older, young and junior athletes competing alike across 10 activities: men’s hockey match, women’s hockey match, kabaddi (NS) women under-14,17, under-11 60 m race (boys and girls), 100 m race final men – 65+ and 70+, 400 m race heats (men and women), 1500 M race final (men and women), men’s hockey match, 400 m race final (men and women), women’s hockey match.
Drawing the biggest applause was Harpreet Singh, who was the quickest in the 100 m race in the 70 + age group, and Lakhveer Singh in the 100 m for the 65+ age group category.
In under 60 m (girls), Khushi Kumari came first and Gurveer Singh led the race for boys. In 1500 m for women, Davinder stood first and Deepak Kumar in the men’s race. Gung Kaur led the 400 m race in the women’s category.
MLA Sangowal and DC Sawhney, in their address, hoped that these games would bring positive results in creating a sports culture in Punjab’s every nook and corner.
They also expressed hope that these games would play a vital role in making “Rangla Punjab” and urged the sports enthusiasts to converge at the stadium to witness this gala event.
The MLA and the DC said these Olympics would also offer the children, youngsters, senior citizens and all others an opportunity to exhibit their talents in different games.
Punjabi heritage gets a stage at games
For the first time ever in the Kila Raipur Rural Olympics, a Punjabi heritage exhibition was put up in the stadium to showcase the rural lifestyle.
While the locals were agitated at the total change in the character of the games, they appreciated the exhibition as “it would inform the new generation, especially from the urban areas, how their forefathers lived,” said village chief Gian Singh.
“The villages today have undergone a total transformation. All the modern amenities, including the modular kitchens and appliances, have crept into and the traditional chulha, utensils and tools, are now almost extinct,” he said.
“It is very important for our kids to know how their elders lived,” he added. Visitors were captivated by the stalls and the artists in the folk dresses, a part of the exhibition, were tough to get hold of as people lined up to catch pictures with them.
Jaspreet Kaur, who was here with from Mohali, said, “This is such a delight for my kids. They are very curious at seeing this and I wish they get a sense of their cultural heritage.”
Similary, Chiranjeet from Jalandhar, who was visiting with his wife and daughter, said, “They won’t just stop taking pictures.”
Besides display of heritage, stalls selling souvenirs and other products produced in villages were also set up.
Deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney also purchased a few products from the stalls to support the step.
“These are authentic things which can only be got in the villages,” said the sellers on the stalls. This edition of the games is the first time when the tourism and culture affairs ministry has taken over the organisation. The aim, officials said, was to draw more people from across the state and promote the folk culture.
