Special Report : Tapping the Real Talent

• 7th Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kreeda Mahotsava of Kalyan Ashram in Ranchi.
• Over 3,300 Vanvasi sportspersons from across the country displayed their talent.
• Jharkhand tops the winners list, while Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh were second and third respectively.

Seventh Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kreeda Mahotsava organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram concluded at Khel Gaon of Ranchi on December 31. Around 3,300 Vanvasi sportspersons from across the country displayed their talent and received huge applause from the audience and the sports experts assembled at the Khel Gaon. It was a show of national unity more than that of the sports meet, which is organised by the Kalyan Ashram after every five years to tap the sports talent of the Vanvasis. Since its inception in Mumbai, the Meet has so far discovered scores of sports persons who excelled at national and international level and earned persons for Bharat. Limba Ram in archery and Kavita Raut who won medal during the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010 are the proud products of such sports meets only.
This time also the show has been very impressive.  Overwhelmed with the extraordinary talent displayed by players from Jharkhand, State Chief Minister Raghubar Das, who as chief guest had also lit the Torch at the inaugural session, announced that the medal winners at the Olympic level would be felicitated with cash award of Rs two crore and a Government job. He also said two per cent of government jobs will be reserved for sportspersons.

RSS Sarkaryavah Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi, Kalyan Ashram president Shri Jagdevram Oraon and many other dignitaries from sports field as well as Union ministers addressed the gathering of over 50,000 Vanvasis who had come from different parts of the State. The march past by sportspersons on the tune of army band was marvellous.
The national sports event was organised in Jharkhand for the second time after 2000. The Games Torch was lit while folk artiste Nandlal Nayek and his group performed the 'Rhythm of the Forest' to the drumming of 108 ‘nagadas’. Troupes from Jharkhand, Tripura, Mizoram and others presented folk dances. The singing of Vande-mataram by Vetra Behan who came from Lithonia impressed one and all.
Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi said the Vanvasis are ahead not only in the sports but also in many other fields. He applauded the role of Kalyan Ashram in generating the spirit of self-confidence among Vanvasis.
Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram said the Centre is working on a policy that would provide scholarship for sportspersons on the lines of students in the field of education. International athlete Kavita Raut said that it was due to the sincere efforts of Kalyan Ashram that she entered into the sports field. Mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa, who was felicitated for her mountaineering achievement, said Bharat needs mountaineering and adventure sports policy to give more fillip to the aspiring youths who wants to move ahead in these adventure sports field.
Speaking at the concluding ceremony on December 31 Union Minister of State for Renewable Energy Shri Piyush Goel said he could see the future Olympic winners before him in the Stadium. RSS Sahsarkaryavah Dr Krishna Gopal also addressed the gathering. Jharkhand Assembly Speaker Shri Dinesh Oraon, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Shri Sudarshan Bhagat, former Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Kariya Munda and Jharkhand’s Sports Minister Amar Kumar Bauri also shared the dais.
Kalyan Ashram president Shri Jagdevram Oraon recalled the first sports meet organised in Mumbai in 1988 in which Milkha Singh while addressing the gathering had hoped that his record would be broken by a Vanvasi only. “A film, Bhag Milkha Bhag has now been made on his life. Tomorrow another film like ‘Bhag Kavita Bhag’ may be made on the life of Kavita or any other.                             Pramod Kumar