Keran Mela organized by Army, locals concludes in J-K's Kupwara

The annual Keran Mela organized by the Army and locals in Keran village of Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir culminated on Wednesday.

Lt Gen DP Pandey, GOC Chinar Corps was the Chief Guest for the event. The event was organised after a gap of two years due to COVID-19 Pandemic and commenced on August 18.

The fair included many sporting events including Cricket, Volleyball, Athletics, Cross Country and Tug of War, besides cultural programmes for the villages of the Keran Sector. It witnessed very active and enthusiastic participation of 18 teams from various parts of Keran Sector besides teams from areas of Kupwara district too.

The Cricket Tournament was clinched by Cobra XI Kralpora Team. Cricket was followed by an energy-filled and nail-biting Volleyball competition between six teams of Keran Sector with Keran Team bagging the trophy. Other competitions also saw the active participation of all villages.

With Women Empowerment being the theme of the event, several women achievers were also invited and attended it, including Capt Tania Shergill, Indian Army's first Woman Commander of an all-male Republic Day Contingent, Ishrat Akhter, the first International wheelchair basketball player from Baramulla, Yana Mir, media panellist and Dr Mehar Rather, social worker, all of whom gave motivational talks to the locals of Keran Sector.

The Grand Finale on October 6 commenced with the Flag Hoisting by Lt Gen DP Pandey and releasing of tricolour balloons. This was followed by a march past by the NCC Cadets of Keran Sector. The events organised on the culminating day included finals of volleyball, tug of war, javelin and 100m sprint for children. A Cultural programme by the Zahoor Gilani group as a tribute to the rich Kashmiri culture, promoting happiness and bonhomie was the show stopper with songs by famous local artist Waqar Khan. Local youths danced and celebrated the fair with army jawans.

Several firsts in this year's Keran Mela included the walkathon competition for women, javelin throw, Inflatable Bouncy Rides, food stalls by popular eateries of Baramulla and Srinagar. All of these were seen on the final day of the celebrations with 100 feet high hydrogen balloons dotting the skyline.

The distribution of trophies to winners by Lt Gen DP Pandey marked the successful culmination of the Mela. The Grand Keran Mela generated tremendous goodwill and provided the villagers in this remote part of the country, a platform to showcase their talents.

DC Kupwara, also attended the event and interacted with locals and gained valuable inputs about various projects and requirements. The locals expressed their gratitude and appreciation towards the Army for the successful conduct of Keran Mela.

( With inputs from ANI )