To scout for next generation Bhogeswar Baruas, Telimaren Aos or for that matter Gilbertson Sangmas and Abhijeet Bhattacharyas for Assam, and India, the State Government has launched an ambitious sporting drive called Khel Maharan. It will begin on November 1 and continue till January 10, whereby it will touch the lives of 50 lakh ambitious sportsmen, and as many, if not more, sports enthusiasts across Assam.
A diverse range of five sporting disciplines, namely Athletics (100m, 200m, 400m & 800m), Football, Kabaddi, Volleyball, and Kho-Kho, will be held throughout the competitions. The events of the initiative have been categorised into four age groups, such as Under 19 (Men), Under 19 (Women), Above 19 (Men), and Above 19 (Women).
The initiative has found immediate favour from yesteryears’ great who are unanimous in their verdict that this will help bring future greats on to the forefront.
Abhijeet Bhattacharyya, the former Indian volleyball team skipper, said that the initiative will act as a platform to spot talents. “Not only will it generate enthusiasm among youths towards sports, it will help identify talents in the notified disciplines,” said Bhattacharya, who played over 100 matches for India between 1995-2005, having himself been spotted by a coach under unusual circumstances.
“After the Khel Maharan is over, the Directorate of Sports and Youth Welfare should set up incubation centres for better training and those selected should be sent to ‘Centre of Excellence’ for advance training,” Abhijit told Asom Barta.
The competitions will be held in four stages, which include Gram Panchayat/Urban Local Body (ULB)/Wards level, Village Council Development Committee/MAC level of Bodoland Territorial Region, Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, and Dima Hasao Autonomous Council; Assembly Constituencies level; district level; and culminating in the grand State level. The State level competitions will take place at five to six venues.
Gobinda Kalita, the general secretary of Assam Kho Kho Association also appreciated the initiative based on his recent experience of the 4th Asian Kho Kho Championship 2023 held at Tamulpur in the Bodoland Territorial Region in which ten countries participated. “The event generated tremendous enthusiasm among youths of BTR to take up the sport. We have a star Kho Kho player, Ranjana Sarania, who is currently in the Indian national team and is from a village in BTR. There are hundreds of talents in rural areas. We need to spot them,” Kalita told this reporter.
Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on October 6, while unveiling the logo/mascot, the audio- visual theme song, theme video, radio jingle, website and mobile app of the grand sporting event, said that ‘Khel Maharan’ is part of four similar programmes of ‘Jan Bhagidari’ (people’s involvement). The other three programmes are ‘Amrit Briksya Andolan’, a mega plantation drive which has concluded already, the ongoing ‘Amrit Kalash Yatra’ and ‘Sangaskritik Mahasangram’ in the cultural arena.
Dr Sarma said that the ‘Khel Maharan’ initiative is a testament to the State Government’s dedication to promoting sports excellence across Assam. “It envisions a multi-stage sporting spectacle, spanning various administrative tiers, to unearth and foster budding athletes,” he said, adding that a pool of 1,200 sporting talents is likely to emerge from the initiative.
Durga Boro, ace football player, hailing from Kokrajhar district, supported the idea of grassroots competition like Khel Maharan. “If you want to spot talent, go to the grassroots,” he told this newsletter. He said that plans should be in place to create a sporting environment and ecosystem in the State.
