“Our culture is closely connected with the people living in forests. Even today the Indian culture is identified by Vanvasis and not by the nagarvasis. The economic and intellectual development of the people living in forests is the need of the hour in changing time. I can see both Sri Ram and Sri Krishan among the Vanvasis assembled here,? said Sadhvi Ma Kanakeshwari Devi at the inaugural of the fifth Vanvasi sports meet organised by Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram in Amravati from December 25 to 28, 2007. A total of 1528 sportspersons including 566 females, from 29 states, participated in the event.
Manoj Kumar Nishad of Jashpur won the 42-km marathon while the 21-km marathon was won by Eyava of Jharkhand. Bhanupratap Maida of Rajasthan won six medals in archery. The gold medal in kabaddi (senior team) was won by the team of Tamil Nadu and the silver medal went to the team of Karnataka. The team of Maharashtra won the medal in kho-kho.
Organised at the premises of Shri Hanuman Vyayam Prasar Mandal, Amravati, the sports meet was inaugurated by Shri Kailash Vijayvargiya, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in Madhya Pradesh government. Noted Buddhist leader of Sikkim Shri Shearing Lama was chief guest on the occasion. Kalyan Ashram president Shri Jagdevram Oraon presided over the function. The presence of noted sportspersons like Shri Naresh Damodar, Shri Jayantilal and Shri Nand Kishore encouraged the young Vanvasi players. All these sportspersons took the Kheljyoti around the grounds. The event began with administering an oath to the players by noted Vanvasi archer Shri Limbaram.
Mata Kanakeshwari Devi further said the Vanvasis are not poor and those who look at them with these eyes are ideologically poor. She said the nagarvasis by reducing their expenses on unnecessary things should give the money for welfare of Vanvasis. She said the people sitting on top posts should look at the Vanvasis with a positive sight. A souvenir, published by Vidarbha Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and edited by Smt. Manjari Laturkar, was also released on the occasion.
A procession, taken out in Amravati town by the Vanvasis was the prime attraction for the local people. The route of the procession was decorated with different colours. The local people welcomed the Vanvasis attired in their traditional dresses.
Shri Vasantrao Purke, Education Minister of Maharashtra, also visited the meet and gave away medals to the winners of archery. The players were provided with matrihast bhojan on December 26 when women of about 1000 families visited the venue with food prepared at home and shared it with the Vanvasi players. It played a key role in bridging the gap between the Vanvasis and the nagarvasis.
The concluding ceremony began on December 28 with lighting the traditional lamp by Buddhist monk Acharya Shri Topojhor. Dr Vijay Kumar Gavit, Minister for Tribal Welfare in Maharashtra government praised the work done by Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram for the development of Vanvasis and for preserving the Vanvasi culture. He said the preservation of Vanvasi culture is must and the state government has launched various schemes to attain this objective. He pointed that the state government is soon going to start a tribal sports academy to promote Vanvasi talent. Shri Gavit too gave away medals to the winners. Shri Jagdevram Oran also spoke at the concluding ceremony.
(FOC)
