Arshid Rasool
“One man practicing sports is far better than thousands sitting idle”
22 years old skier Arif Khan has recently earned the distinction of being India’s sole representative at Beijing Winter Olympics. This young talent has set a precedent for the budding generation of this snow-clad region to pursue their dreams at sports and other adventure activities. Kashmir has also witnessed a lot of growing interest amongst youth especially in field of sports. Realising the untapped potential of Kashmiri youth, the government has also allocated Rs 200 crore under PMDP scheme for sports structure revamp also making it a one of a kind of facilities in the country.
The influence that sports have on the minds of individuals is profound and deep. The relentless pursuit for excellence in the field can have deep rooted impact on the psyche of an individual and help oneself restrain from the diabolical influences of one’s surroundings. It is not just a matter of achieving something but the journey and the perseverance involved in it to do something worthwhile is what makes any pursuit for excelling special.
The topography and weather conditions of Kashmir is such that it can be a game changer for the overall development of the region specially in terms of economy. Sports like cricket, volleyball, hockey and winter sports are already popular in Kashmir but the terrain of the region suggests to spend more on the exploration of different adventure activities like skydiving, mountaineering and river rafting. Other sports like canoeing, caving, rock climbing, trekking, mountain carting, etc. are not only popular in western countries but globetrotters from our own country have started inclining towards exploiting such opportunities. The promotion of such sports will not only give youth a new domain to explore but also a chance to the region to attract adventure tourism which may help in boosting the economy. The advent of such new sports will not be a difficult challenge for Kashmiri folks to learn due to their inherent ability to adept. The Indian Army conducts sporting activities for the youth in the region through various welfare initiatives such as Operation Sadbhavna. Army which is already known to excel in adventure sports is also supporting introductions of such adventure sports to encourage the youth in developing his interests. This will help both people of Kashmir in development and security forces to harness such talents and utilize the infrastructure for conducting and participating in sporting events.
Winter sports which are again gaining momentum worldwide to become popular day by day have great scope in India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir region. The National Winter Games were held in Kashmir, also the most medals in first Khelo India Winter Games were won by Jammu and Kashmir. In order to match the pace of sportsmen around the globe and perform better in events like Winter Olympics, investment in infrastructure is utmost important. Not only this, there is also a need to develop training establishments for overall sports played in the country and upgrade existing institutions like Nehru Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports which will further increase their domains of training. A better infrastructure and training may give opportunity to sportsmen of Kashmir to participate more at national and international events. Examples are pre-eminent cricketers like Parvez Rasool, Abdul Samad, Mithun Manhas, Rasikh Salam and Manzoor Dar who have played T20 IPL matches for different teams.
All growth depends upon activity. There have been discussions in several forums related to Sports in Kashmir. The actual development will however be materialized only by the collective efforts and contribution by different bodies like sports councils and association, political institutions and finally the population of the Kashmir which is always willful and has shown keen interest. Sports journalism and social media will also play prime role in inviting several stakeholders for the growth of sports industry of the Kashmir and promote different agendas in this sector. Sports in Kashmir is linked with the tourism which will also contribute in productive out-turn in the economy and evolution of the state leading to development both socially and financially.
