Anjumoni Bora, a veteran cyclist from Jorhat in her late 50s rediscovered her passion in an inspiring way. Since childhood, peddling is her stress-relief activity. Khel Maharan 2.0 presented her with an unexpected opportunity of judging the competition while taking part & leaving an undeniable mark.
“Seeing the young participants perform, I could not hold back. With permission from the authorities, I joined the ‘Above 17’ cycling competition,” Anjumoni said while speaking to Asom Barta.
In the first phase, she clinched the top position in the 10 km Urban Local Body (ULB) level competition and repeated the same feat in the 20 km LAC and district level. Reaching state level, she competed against 55 other participants, much younger in age and secured 12th rank in the 20 km race, “For me, this is a great achievement, as without any rigorous practice or a professional cycle, I took part not to compete but to inspire. With determination and zeal, anything is possible.”
She attributes her stamina to the power of yoga, “From the last many years, I have been regularly doing yoga which proved to be my strength and support through this journey,” she added.a
Anjumoni expressed her gratitude to Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and Minister of Sports and Youth Welfare Nandita Garlosa for spearheading such a transformative initiative, “Khel Maharan is a brilliant step to uncover hidden talents. It has provided a platform for all, especially women and children.”
The second edition of Khel Maharan has built upon the overwhelming success of its predecessor. It has become a beacon of enthusiasm, resilience, and community spirit, uniting people across Assam. Organized with the vision of promoting sports at the grassroots level, the event has provided platforms to talented athletes & sports lovers from the rural & difficult terrain of the state.
One of its standout features has been its inclusivity. Like Anjumoni, eight-year-old Nahid Begum from Sivasagar was one of the youngest participants, competing in the under-14 cycling category against much older contenders.
Nahid’s mother, Nazma Begum while speaking in this regard with the newsletter shared, “I am very happy with the performance of my daughter, she participated at the competition within a month after learning cycling.”
The young girl cycled 8 km in LAC level competition held at Demow, then 18 km in district level and 15 km in state level, “We never thought she could finish the line in the state level however she did it.”
The young girl’s stupendous performance grabbed the attention of Minister Nandita Garlosa who gifted her a racing cycle.
In Khel Maharan 2.0, Jorhat district secured the first place with a total of 32 medals, including 12 gold, 15 silver, and 5 bronze, followed by Kamrup (M) in second place with 23 medals (9 gold, 4 silver, 10 bronze), Dibrugarh & Kamrup (R) in third position with 7 medals (4 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze).
The Chief Minister after attending the inaugural ceremony of state level competition, posted in X, “This is one of my favourite efforts, it’s an incredible platform to discover talented sportspersons from every corner of Assam.”
Guno Sankar Wary, District physical instructor Goalpara & attached to Chirang speaking about the step, said, “It is a dream project of Government of Assam which has been very successful in both the editions. It has given exposure to the people residing in remote villages of Assam.”
Wary himself was in the charge of organising the competitions at the panchayat & VCDC level and he was overwhelmed with the people’s response.
“Khel Maharan is a testament of the Government of Assam’s seriousness towards promoting sports culture & turning the state into a sports hub,” Wary added.
As per the social media post shared by minister Nandita Garlosa, a total of 7000 players have participated in the final stage of competition in seven disciplines from across the state of Assam, “Under the visionary leadership of our Hon’ble Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma khel Maharan will give the platform to the hidden talented players. Best wishes to all the players,” the minister posted.
