|
SGPC hold Khalsa Sports Festival at
Nanded
P. Bokaare
 NANDED:
Adding to the religious fervor of the occasion, the Shiromani
Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee organized a Khalsa Sports Festival as
part of the Gurta Gaddi celebrations at Nanded which was attended
amongst others by a team from
Pakistan too.
Held at the Guru
Gobind Singh Stadium, the meet witnessed traditional sports
wrestling and Kabbadi teams from
Punjab, Haryana,
Maharashtra and Pakistan.
Besides, the
martial sports of Gatka of the Sikhs and Malambh of the Marathas
were the main attraction at the festival which began with a colorful
orchestra by rural folk artists from
Punjab and
Maharashtra.
Punjab Chief
Minister Parkash Singh Badal inaugurated the sports meet which saw
the presence of SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, former Union
Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Maharashtra Cultural Affairs
Minister Ashok Chauhan and deputy chief minister R. R. Patil. Punjab
PWD Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Dr P.S. Pasricha and SGPC
Education Director Dr Gurmohan Singh Walia were also present on the
occasion.
Ten Olympians
from various sports were felicitated on the occasion. Maharashtra
Sports Minister, Prof. Vasant Purke and Union Sports Minister Mr. M.
S. Gill gave away prizes to the winning teams and individuals.
Manohar Singh
Gill, while giving away the prizes, said sports had a unique place
in Sikh culture and traditions. “That is the reason, Sikhs have
shown glorious achievements in sports,” he said. He reminded the
audience of the edict of Gurus that one should not only be
spiritually strong but also physically fit and mentally alert.
Earlier,
Maharashtra Industries and Tourism Minister Ashok Chauhan
inaugurated martial arts contests and lauded the efforts of the SGPC
in or ganising a unique sports festival at Nanded Sahib too.
Among the events
were gatka, folk dance of the Banjara community, and kabaddi
matches, in which the final was between Punjab and Haryana. Punjab
won the men’s final while Haryana got the women’s prize.
5 November
2008
|
Read Also